Alston defends his commitment to telco sector - News - Communications

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Alston defends his commitment to telco sector

By Jeanne-Vida Douglas, ZDNet Australia
September 25, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Alston-defends-his-commitment-to-telco-sector/0,130061791,120268526,00.htm

The Department of Communication Information Technology and the Arts has moved to defend Senator Richard Alston's commitment to rural communications, after it was announced he would not be attending a national conference on rural and regional communications.

Backed by the Australian Telecommunications Users Group (ATUG) and the Service Providers Industry Association (SPAN), the 7th annual Forum on Rural and Remote Communications will see representatives of the telecommunications industry gather in Sydney in late November.

A spokesperson for the Minister he would be unable attend the conference as it coincided with a fact finding mission to Europe and the United States. While away, the Minister plans to meet with representatives of the private and public sector in a number of countries in order to gather information regarding broadband infrastructure around the world.

"Senator Alston has had a long-running commitment to SPAN and ATUG. He has attended every ATUG conference since becoming Minister," the spokesperson said. "This will be the second conference on regional and rural communications to be held this year, the first of which he attended."

The spokesperson also pointed out that the Department had run its own conference on regional and rural communications earlier this year during the Networking the Nation conference.