Government publishes submissions on NBN legislative framework

Stuart Corner
Sunday, 06 September 2009 16:27

IT Industry - Strategy

The Australian Government has published more than 30 submissions received in response to its call for industry input on the legislative framework for the National Broadband Network.

However the range of issues canvassed in the submissions extends well beyond legislation. The minister for broadband, communications and the digital economy, senator Stephen Conroy, said: "Key themes put forward in submissions include the need for effective access, equivalence and control arrangements. Submissions also discuss the types of services the National Broadband Network should provide, the role of the ACCC, ownership caps and related issues, and sell-down provisions."

He added: "The Government is giving careful consideration to the submissions, which, along with the advice of the Implementation Study Lead Advisor, will help shape the legislative arrangements for the National Broadband Network...The submissions identify a range of key themes for the Government to consider in the establishment of a non-conflicted, wholesale-only broadband provider. The Government considers this objective is fundamental to a more competitive telecommunications industry in the future."

The call for submissions on the NBN legislative framework, issued in early July, is quite separate for the earlier call for submissions on Regulatory Reform for 21st Century Broadband, which was accompanied by a discussion paper. That call for submissions generated over 100 responses, but, as its accompanying discussion paper made clear, the regulatory and legislative underpins of the NBN were specifically excluded from consideration, these being the subject of the subsequent call for industry input to which the just released 34 submissions relate.

The 34 submissions should be available on the DBCDE website . However, when iTWire checked on 6 September the links to several of them, including that from Telstra, failed.