People across the country are being called on by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to share their opinions on the cost of accessing the National Broadband Network (NBN) over the next eight years.
Inviting submissions on NBN Co’s variation to its Special Access Undertaking (SAU), ACCC Commissioner Anna Brakey said the proposed variation set the maximum prices and terms and conditions for broadband providers to access the NBN until 2040.
Commissioner Brakey said the ACCC had released a consultation paper on the proposed variation and was inviting submissions until 8 July
“The SAU exists to promote competition and efficiency in Australia’s broadband market, to the benefit of households and businesses,” Commissioner Brakey said.
“The variation will influence the price, quality and range of broadband offers in the market for the next two decades,” she said.
“Before we decide whether to accept NBN Co’s proposed variation, we are conducting a public consultation to hear from the retailers who sell NBN services, other service providers, and households and businesses that rely on the NBN for their broadband.”
Commissioner Brakey said the variation sought to incorporate fibre-to-the-node and other copper-based technologies in the SAU, to create a single regulatory framework that covered all network technologies.
“The variation also proposes significant changes to product and pricing commitments, the framework for NBN Co’s cost recovery, and rules for how the ACCC assesses network expenditure,” the Commissioner said.
The ACCC’s 51-page Consultation Paper can be accessed at this PS News link and NBN Co’s 341-page SAU Variation and supporting documents at this link.
