Budget gives ACMA & ACCC $12.8m to prepare for NBN

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 11 May 2011 11:32

IT Policy - Government Tech Policy

The Federal Budget has allocated $34.4m over five years to DBCDE for additional work to support the finalisation of definitive agreements between Telstra and NBN Co and $12.8m to the ACMA and the ACCC to set up the regulatory framework for the NBN.

DBCDE will get $34.4m over five years to work to:
- Provide a consumer information service on access to broadband, the Universal Service Obligation arrangements and the interim satellite service;
- Provide specialist technical advice in relation to declaring premises adequately served by alternative high speed networks;
- Provide information to consumers and small businesses about the NBN rollout and support them in the migration from the copper network to the fibre network;
- Establish a new USO entity and legislative scheme for the changes to the Universal Service Obligation arrangement.

A further $1.2m over five years will be provided to the Department of Finance and Deregulation to assist in managing the Government's oversight of the new entity that will be established to manage the Universal Service Obligation.

The ACMA will get $7.2m over four years to develop and monitor implementation of appropriate network standards and codes, including implementing a compliance, auditing and monitoring program, and the ACCC will get $5.6m over four years for competition analysis and monitoring.

The ACCC's work will include regularly monitoring the level of transmission services provided by other wholesale providers to NBN Co points of interconnect, and setting appropriate benchmarks for transmission services to facilitate retail service providers' access to uniform national wholesale prices. This money will be fully recovered by the ACMA from annual carrier licence charges

The Government will also provide $3.1m over two years for the Convergence Review announced in December to examine the operation of media and communications regulation in Australia, and assess its effectiveness in promoting a competitive and efficient media and communications sector in an environment of increased digital convergence.

The review is being undertaken by an independent committee chaired by Glen Boreham and is expected to be finalised in 2012. Funding will be fully offset by reducing amounts held in the Contingency Reserve to support the transition from analogue to digital television.


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