The Cavanbah Centre and six Council-managed halls in the Byron Shire have received Wi-Fi upgrades to improve communication for the community during disasters and emergencies.

The satellite-based Wi-Fi units are operational at:

•   The Cavanbah Centre  
•   Mullumbimby Civic Hall
•   Brunswick Heads Memorial Hall
•   Marvell Hall at Byron Bay
•   Bangalow A&I Hall
•   South Golden Beach Hall
•   Ocean Shores Community Centre.
  
  

The upgrades were possible thanks to the Australian Government’s Strengthening Telecommunications Against Natural Disasters (STAND) program.

“This is great news for residents in our towns and villages because internet connectivity in times of disasters is so important as we discovered in the 2022 floods,” Byron Shire Mayor, Sarah Ndiaye, said.

“These upgrades will make it easier for people to tell loved ones they are safe, to call for help, or simply to check on family and friends,” she said.

The service is powered by the NBN Sky Muster satellite and will operate year-round, with a basic level of community Wi-Fi, where people can call, send and receive messages.

During emergencies the bandwidth will be boosted to enable more connectivity.

“This means that if people can’t get Wi-Fi at their homes because their network is down, they can go down to the hall and be able to use their phones,” Mayor Ndiaye said.

“This is the latest in a broad range of improvements to flood resilience that Council has been delivering in partnership with the NSW and Australian Governments,” she said.

In the event of an emergency people can also visit Byron Shire Council’s Emergency Dashboard to view flood cameras, road conditions and more helpful information.