Cooran - Development Application

         Furthermore, it must be remembered that evidence gathered by ARPANSA confirms that
         exposure levels in public areas are typically hundreds or thousands of times less than the exposure
         limit set by the ACMA”.21



Further, the WHO also cautions against arbitrary, non-scientific approaches as
follows:

         “If regulatory authorities have adopted health-based guidelines but, because of public concerns,
         would like to introduce additional precautionary measures to reduce exposure to RF fields, they
         should not undermine the science base of the guidelines by incorporating arbitrary additional
         safety factors into the exposure limits.”22

7.12.5 Access

The proposed facility will have restrictions aimed at preventing public access,
including a secured compound fence with a locked gate and warning signs placed
around the facility.



7.13 The Public Interest and the Benefits of Telecommunications
The proposed nbn™ facility is expected to have significant benefit for residents
in Cooran. nbn believes that the public interest would be served by approval of
the proposal, given benefits for enhanced internet coverage in the area. The
facility is expected to have benefits for local residents and businesses within the
district.


7.13.1 Other Benefits of Reliable Broadband Services

There are numerous other benefits of telecommunications connectivity, as
follows:23
     •   There are many potential educational benefits justifying the
         implementation of nbn™. Curriculum and data sharing, increased
         availability and accessibility of research materials, and virtual classroom
         environments are good examples. Such elements are particularly
         beneficial within a tertiary education context.
     •   Businesses can, through internet usage, increase efficiency through time,
         resource and monetary savings. Improved internet services effectively
         remove physical distance and travel time as a barrier to business.
     •   Improvements to internet services may also be of benefit for local
         employees, by enabling telecommuting and home business. The


21
   ARPANSA Fact Sheet No. 6
22
   www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs193/en/
23
   End user experience including the speeds actually achieved over the nbn™ depends on some factors outside
nbn control like the end user’s equipment quality, software, broadband plans and how the end user’s service
providers designs its network.

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