INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT OF THE CURRENT AND FUTURE ADEQUACY OF
TELECOMMUNICATIONS SERVICES
BACKGROUND
In
September 2000 the independent Telecommunications Service Inquiry
(TSI) concluded that Australians generally have adequate access
to a range of high quality basic and advanced telecommunications
services. However the TSI also concluded that a significant proportion
of those who live and work in rural and remote Australia have
concerns regarding key aspects of services which, at that stage,
were not adequate.
In
May 2001 the Government responded to the 17 recommendations of
the TSI by committing to regulatory changes and $163 million of
new funding programs. In April 2002 the Government announced a
range of further enhancements to the telecommunications competition
regime.
In
its 2001 Federal election policy the Coalition stated that it
would take no further steps toward the full sale of Telstra unless
and until it was fully satisfied that services in regional, rural
and remote Australia were adequate. It is therefore timely to
conduct an independent assessment of progress toward the delivery
of adequate telecommunications services to all Australians.
TERMS
OF REFERENCE
The
independent panel will report to the Minister for Communications,
Information Technology and the Arts by 8 November 2002 on whether
telecommunications services to regional, rural and remote areas
of Australia are adequate and the arrangements that should be
put in place to ensure that all Australians continue to share
in the benefits of further service improvements and developments
in technology. In conducting its assessment the panel will advise
the Minister on:
1.
The extent to which the Government's response to the Telecommunications
Service Inquiry (TSI), other Government initiatives and further
commercial developments have so far addressed the community concerns
identified in the TSI Report, particularly with regard to:
- reliable access to the Internet, and whether ongoing delivery
of the Government's response will meet the TSI concerns within
a reasonable timeframe.
2.
The performance of Telstra, as the primary Universal Service Provider,
in meeting Customer Service Guarantee (CSG) standards on the timely
installation, repair and reliability of basic telephone services
in regional, rural and remote Australia, compared with its performance
in metropolitan markets and with overseas carriers in reasonably
equivalent markets.
3.
Additional Government action that may be taken to remove impediments
to the delivery of internet services at 64Kb/s or better and wireless-based
technologies in regional, rural and remote Australia.
4.
The current provision of legislated consumer safeguards including
the Universal Service Obligation, the Customer Service Guarantee,
untimed local calls and the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman
and whether further action is required to ensure these safeguards
are enforced into the future.
5.
The ongoing commitment of Telstra to a local presence (such as
Telstra Country Wide) in regional, rural and remote Australia.
6.
The most effective means by which the Government can ensure that
people in regional, rural and remote Australia can share reasonably
equitably - in terms of availability and cost - with residents
in metropolitan Australia in the benefits of future advances in
telecommunications services resulting from competition and new
technologies.
In
conducting its assessment the panel will be expected to consult
with representatives of regional Australia, including the National
Farmers' Federation. It will also take submissions from the public.
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