read this and choke::: now is he is chair of uranu

(TLS) Telstra adopts ACCC recommendations
14-Nov 2003
Telstra has today adopted the ACCC’s wholesale prices for PSTN interconnection, local call sale and unconditioned local loop.

Telstra CEO Dr Ziggy Switkowski said Telstra has submitted undertakings to the ACCC which mirrored the ACCC’s final determination on these services.

The decision to adopt the ACCC’s prices for the access services marked the evolution into a mature regulatory environment where all competitors could operate commercially and with certainty within the framework administered by the ACCC.

Dr Switkowski said, “This landmark development demonstrates the effectiveness of government policy in this area as reflected in changes made to the Trade Practices Act last year which gave greater emphasis to undertakings in the telecommunications access regime.

“Access prices are a foundation issue for the regulatory regime. With Telstra adopting the prices determined by the regulator we believe we will bring certainty to the market and head-off future regulatory disputes.

“The wholesale industry is presently free from disputes and sound commercial agreements are increasingly the norm.

“Subject to the ACCC formally accepting the undertakings, Telstra will not seek to claim any access deficit contribution in respect of the price of the core services in undertakings after June 2006.

“We now enter a new phase under a mature regulatory regime. Telstra’s willingness to adopt the prices determined by the ACCC demonstrates Telstra’s commitment to creating industry certainty and a stable regulatory environment for the benefit of competitors and consumers alike,” Dr Switkowski said.

The undertakings set access prices for the main services, being PSTN originating and terminating access (interconnection) and ULL (direct access to copper lines) for the years 2003-4, 2004-5 and 2005-6, and LCS (Local Carriage Service) for the years 2003-4 and 2004-5