The National Broadband Network Company (NBN Co) withdrew its special access undertaking plan from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) this week, but why, and what does it mean for companies that are currently accessing the National Broadband Network (NBN)?
The special access undertaking (SAU) sets out the plan for pricing and access to the NBN by telcos and ISPs over the next 30 years. NBN Co needs sign-off on the plan from the ACCC.
So why did NBN Co withdraw it this week?
Well, the plan has been the at the centre of months of deliberations between the ACCC and NBN Co. The watchdog had concerns that the plan lacked proper regulatory oversight, and NBN Co reportedly withdrew that draft plan to avoid being formally rejected by the watchdog.
NBN Co will have a new one ready within weeks.
Meanwhile, Malcolm Turnbull has predicted that the country is facing a “fixed-line crisis” reports the Herald Sun.
Turnbull believes that because NBN Co is too slow in rolling out fibre to greenfields estates, many Australians will be left without fixed line connectivity in the hundreds of thousands. That’s a very real concern, but where’s the proof?