ACCC intends to extend declarations for five years (Australia)

www.WirelessFederation.com/news: The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said  that it intends to extend declarations that allow Telstra Corp.’s rivals access to the company’s copper network to provide voice and internet services for another five years.

“The ACCC considers there is a need for as much regulatory certainty as possible regarding the access arrangements that apply to the fixed network services for all industry participants,” ACCC Chairman Graeme Samuel reportedly said.

The competition watchdog said that the government’s planned National Broadband Network will have a major effect on the future regulatory environment, and a lack of certainty regarding ongoing access could have had a negative impact on both competition and investment in the sector.
“With this in mind, the ACCC has extended each of the six declarations for the full statutory period available,” the ACCC said.