Geoff Helisma | Around 50 Brooms Head residents turned out at the Brooms Head hall on Wednesday April 18 to hear what representatives from Telstra, NBN Co and Optus had to say about the proposed installation of a 41.2metre high tower on the village’s sports field. The invitation to the ‘drop in session’, “to learn more about the proposal to ask questions and provide … feedback”, wasn’t well received by all who attended. Photographer and resident Stephen Otton said he and others left the session with the following impression. “It’s going to go ahead. We were pretty well told: ‘no pole on the sports ground, no reception’.” Brooms Head has long been plagued by a chronic lack of mobile phone reception. Residents suggested other locations such as the old tip site, the National Parks and Wildlife Service’s quarry on Sandon Road and the prawn farm. However, Trudy Mullally, who is a convenor of the Friends of Brooms Head Facebook page, said people were told that the sports fields were the ideal location to incorporate coverage for the two telcos and NBN Co. National Broadband Network fixed wireless is part of the proposal. “If it was just mobile it would be okay at the old dump site,” Ms Mullally said. “Whereas the fixed wireless has a narrow range; they told us it has to be on sports field to get maximum coverage for fixed NBN wireless.” The proposal is a part of the Australian Government’s Mobile Phone Black Spot Program. The invitation to attend the drop in session told recipients: “The co-location of all three telecommunications providers on a single facility will allow for the provision of a wide range of services without the need for multiple facilities in the area.”