Three months later than expected, broadcaster NBN’s new $472,000 Bulahdelah tower will be working at full throttle from Thursday. It is the result of lobbying by the region’s former federal member Bob Baldwin, who stepped in in 2013 to resolve issues caused by the government’s switch-off of the analogue signal in 2012. 

“Our government has been able to deliver $254,320 in Federal funding towards this project,” current member for Lyne David Gillespie said.

It is part of a $476,000 funding package which has assisted with the $828,000 rollout of new towers for Wallaroo, Port Stephens and Bulahdelah. 

But Mr Baldwin has previously argued that the funding was also destined to be used in Phase Two for problems faced by Stroud, Dungog and Vacy. He floated increasing regional broadcasters’ licence fees to help cover the costs, if plans for Phase Two weren’t forthcoming. 

“We’ve done nothing as yet [about Phase Two]. We keep looking at the Stroud problem, we’re looking for options but we’re very limited in what we can do,” Mr Brown said, adding technicians were there a few weeks ago. 

“Certainly now that electoral boundaries have been redrawn, we will go and talk with Dr Gillespie about what can be done.”

A spokesperson for the member for Lyne said that with Phase One in its final stages, Dr Gillespie is looking forward to meeting Regional Broadcasting Australia Holdings to determine what’s required for next phase. 

“We’ll then have discussions with the minister for Regional Communications Fiona Nash to see what sort for programs are available.”

In the meantime, Bulahdelah’s tower is working at half power until Thursday while NBN “tidies up a bit, run some tests.”

“Some people in Bulahdelah have masthead amplifyers which might cause a bit of interference, but there are antenna guys in the area who will report back,” NBN’s Broadcasting Engineering and Technology manager Stephen Brown said.