Comms Alliance sets out NBN definition plans - but will the Government listen?

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 15 July 2009 12:32

IT Industry - Strategy

However it is not clear to what extent Comms Alliance's efforts will influence the final outcome. The Government has looking to appoint an NBN lead implementation advisor to "determine the operating arrangements, detailed network design, ways to attract private sector investment and ways to provide procurement opportunities for local businesses. The lead adviser will "examine and provide advice on a wide range of commercial, financial, project management and governance and telecommunications issues relevant to the National Broadband Network."

Hurley told iTWire: "We are in constant dialogue with the government. Things are moving and that is why we have projectised what we are doing so that there are concrete time frames and project teams to contain the energy and the momentum."

She added: "We are being proactive but we are mindful that we may need to be reactive to something that comes out of Canberra."

Because of uncertainty as to how the Government will progress the NBN she said: "There was a feeling in the forums that the process the industry is going through must have maximum visibility and transparency."

This is in stark contrast to the Government, which, other than to issued an RoI in order to appoint a lead implementation adviser, has said nothing about what if any process is underway for detailed planning of the NBN, which it promised would start rolling out in Tasmania this month.

As McLaren's first and second papers made clear there are many complex issues to be resolved. When it issued his second discussion paper, Comms Alliance anticipated a number of key definitional aspects of the NBN on which, it said industry consensus would be difficult to achieve.