Alcatel & KPMG lobby for regulatory certainty for broadband
By Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 19 April 2006 18:40
According to the white paper, the five regulatory levers are: government subsidy and or incentives, safe harbour, access price certainty, selective deployment based on return on investment and vertical disaggregation.
The paper, 'Fostering investment in broadband infrastructure – the need for regulatory certainty', reviews current policy and regulatory frameworks for next generation broadband investment across several countries to draw lessons for Australia and "contribute to the current broadband investment debate".
Malcolm Alder, KPMG director of information, communications and entertainment, said that policy-makers, regulators and the telecommunications industry as a whole, need to quickly agree on a common vision of how best to achieve next generation broadband. "If change doesn't start now, Australia risks a decrease in productivity and a loss of business and talent relative to international trading peers who are more advanced in broadband."
Alcatel Australasia CEO, Hilary Mine, said, "The rest of world is building multi-megabit and multi-service broadband capability. It is critical that the focus of the current debate shifts quickly to focus on how to build the infrastructure that will enable us not just to catch up, but leap-frog other countries."
Whilst Alcatel stands to be a big winner from Telstra rolling out its FTTN network the paper does not specifically support Telstra's call for regulatory relief nor make any direct mention of Telstra's FTTN plans other than by allusion ("there are funds from the private sector ready and willing to be invested if the policy settings are appropriate").
Its overarching recommendation is for action of some kind: "The present impasse has negative but avoidable consequences for Australia. Above all, action is required. Doing nothing is the worst outcome of all."
