ITWire

Jim Hassell, NBN Co head of product management and industry relations, said: "NBN Co acknowledges the significance of the feedback from the ACCC and industry, and has revised its approach accordingly...What doesn't change in the revised approach is our commitment to maintain the affordability of our prices.

"The approach continues to lock-in the prices of key products for five years, maintains price controls over all products, and in addition now confirms NBN Co's intention to decrease the price of the Connectivity Virtual Circuit (CVC) as demand increases."

However it could be some time for a revised undertaking is lodged. The ACCC said: "NBN Co will need to undertake further work to develop its high level proposal into a new SAU." And the ACCC intends to hold pre-lodgement discussions with NBN Co on the implementation of its revised approach and a further discussion with industry on the proposal.

These discussions are necessary because the legislation does not permit undertakings to be amended once lodged. The ACCC can only accept or reject them as they stand, or the organisation submitting an undertaking can choose to withdraw it before the ACCC has come to a decision.

There is however a sense of urgency. Sims reiterated the ACCC's expectation that the regulatory framework established by the SAU should be in place prior to the execution of longer term access agreements between NBN Co and access seekers.

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