NBN Co's rollout performance under scrutiny

Stuart Corner
Monday, 19 September 2011 13:17

IT Policy - Regulation

NBN Co executives will be grilled on the company's rollout performance tomorrow, Tuesday 20 September as Parliaments Joint Committee on the National Broadband Network commences its next six monthly review.
 

Committee Chair, Rob Oakeshott said: "This hearing continues the committee's review of the rollout of the NBN and takes up those issues which the committee commented on in its First Report and will pursue into the future. These include: performance reporting on rollout targets by the NBN Co, the engagement of private equity in funding the NBN, the NBN-readiness of Government agencies and service delivery and timeline for NBN rollout in regional and remote areas."
 
He added that, at subsequent hearings in October, "The committee will examine the Telstra and Optus deals more closely and the associated competition issues, as well as the issues surrounding pricing of the NBN product."

The hearing will commence at 18:30 in Committee Room 2S1, Parliament House, Canberra with NBN Co. DBCDE officers are due to front the committee at 20:00 followed by the Department of Finance and Deregulation. Audio of the hearing will be available at: http://webcast.aph.gov.au/livebroadcasting/. The committee will present its second report to the Parliament by the end of 2011.
 
In the first of its six monthly reports, tabled at the end of August, the committee called for more information from Government and from NBN Co on progress, and action from Government to transition services to the NBN.

 Committee chair, Rob Oakeshott, said at the time: "Government can do a lot of work on getting itself NBN ready in a number of policy areas such as content and copyright, privacy and national security, tax administration and collection, Government 2.0 strategy, and the opportunity for timely and relevant data collection recommended repeatedly by the COAG reform council.

"We are also looking for increased evidence of the seven percent regional and rural communities being better engaged on this project. This is an inclusive not exclusive exercise, and no one should be left behind."

In its first report the committee made five recommendations:

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