ACCC proposes fair access terms for core telecommunications access services
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission today issued a draft determination specifying model non-price terms and conditions for core telecommunications access services.
Although non-binding, they provide guidance as to the ACCC's views regarding fair terms and conditions of access.
The core telecommunication services are the main access services which competitors need in order to compete with Telstra for a variety of retail services. Consequently, the terms of access to these services can act to the long-term benefit of Australian consumers of various telecommunications services, including high-speed broadband services.
The proposed model terms focus on areas where service providers have had difficulty in negotiating mutually agreeable terms. These include matters that have been recently notified to the ACCC for arbitration.
"In developing the model terms, the ACCC has attempted to strike a balance between the legitimate business interests of access providers and the rights of access seekers to use the declared services," ACCC Chairman, Mr Graeme Samuel, said.
The draft determination has been released for public comment and will be available on the ACCC website.
The ACCC seeks submissions from industry participants and other interested parties by 7 October 2008.
The ACCC is required under section 152AQB of the Trade Practices Act 1974 to make a determination that sets out its views on fair terms of access to the core telecommunication services. The existing determination will expire at the end of October 2008.
The core services are the Public Switched Telephone Network originating and terminating service, the Unconditioned Local Loop Service and the Local Carriage Service. The PSTN origination and termination services are used as inputs by access seekers primarily to supply long distance, fixed-to-mobile and mobile-to-fixed calls to end-users in Australia. They can also be used by other network operators to interconnect with Telstra's fixed network.
The ULLS involves the use of unconditioned cable (typically copper) between end-users and a telephone exchange, where the cable terminates. This service enables access seekers to supply advanced, high-speed data services, such as xDSL (digital subscriber line) services, to customers as well as local and long-distance voice services in competition with Telstra.
The LCS is a service for carriage of telephone calls from customer equipment at an end-user's premises to separately located customer equipment of an end-user in the same standard zone. It allows access seekers to provide local calls on a resale or wholesale basis in competition with Telstra.
The ACCC has previously published pricing principles for each of these services under section 152AQA of the Act. These papers are available on the ACCC website.
