Telstra ADSL2+ 'spin' is breathtaking

Stuart Corner
Wednesday, 06 February 2008 08:49

Opinion and Analysis

So what has changed? At some stage since being elected the new communications minister, Stephen Conroy, has written to Trujillo to remind him of the repeated assurances given by Samuel that he sees no reason to regulate access to Telstra's ADSL2+ services and, in light of this, asking Telstra to turn them on ASAP. In closing his letter Conroy notes that he can only remind Trujillo of what Samuel has said, and that the decision to regulate or not remains solely with the ACCC.

I know this because Conroy has released a copy of the letter he sent to Trujillo. A sure sign, I would suggest, that he is not at all happy with the way Telstra has misrepresented the situation.

So why has Telstra done this? Certainly the animosity towards Samuel is powerful. Denying the very existence of the ACCC's roles and responsibilities in regulating access to telecommunication services is one way of giving vent to that animosity.

More likely is that, by trying to make out that the provision of high speed broadband to millions of people many months later than was technically possible (in many cases the equipment was installed and services can be turned on immediately) was the result of Government decision Telstra is seeking to cover up the real reason: its own recalcitrance.

When he came on board in mid 2005 Trujillo succeeded very quickly in souring relations between Telstra and the incumbent government. Looks like he is determined to repeat the process with the new Government; and make relations with the ACCC and Graeme Samuel even worse than they already are, if that's possible.