The Government has offered Australia's three mobile operators, and vividwireless, renewal of their existing spectrum allocated on 15 year licences in the late 90s and early 2000s at set prices, while the Government expects to rake in $3 billion.
The Opposition also argues the Rudd Government does not have a mandate
to implement the reforms. It points to the Labor policy taken to the
last election which sought functional – rather than structural
separation – of Telstra.
Greens communications spokesman Scott Ludlam, who sits on both the
Senate communications committee and the select committee investigating
the NBN, says the Greens would prefer to see the debate proceed to the
Government timetable.
"I don’t think Telstra has made the case for a delay," Senator Ludlam
told iTWire. “The bigger problem is going to be scheduling, because the
Senate is just so congested."
"And if the Opposition wants to talk out the Climate Change debate
(through filibuster) and that’s a real concern … but aside from
scheduling, I don’t think Telstra have made a case to delay debate."
Meanwhile Competitive Carriers Coalition executive director David
Forman called the Telstra submission a display of “the same old
arrogance we have come to expect.”
"Of course they would try to delay debate. They don’t want their
lollypop taken away," Forman told iTWire. "It is just ridiculous."
He said the reform Bill specifically address telecommunications industry regulation, and “had nothing to do with the NBN.”
"The suggestion that this bill should be delayed for some more NBN work
to be done is an absolute con," Forman said. "This bill is about
reforming the industry. It’s not about the NBN, and Telstra knows it."
"Why on earth would the Senate delay debate on something that has been needed for ten years?"
David Bass
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