TERRiA presents evidence to Senate Select Committee Hearing on National Broadband Network

Assured open access and availability for all Australians key priority 

Speaking in front of the Senate Select Committee public hearing on the National Broadband Network (NBN) today, TERRiA gave evidence on the importance of ensuring the new NBN is an assured open access network and available to all Australians.

TERRiA’s Chairman, Michael Egan, said the new national broadband network is a great opportunity for Australia, but there is no guarantee it will be a success.

“The success or failure of the new NBN will depend not so much on technology, as important as that is, but mainly on the rules that will govern it.

“Done well, the new NBN will be worth its weight in gold. Done badly, it will be a dead weight.

“If the NBN is to fulfill its potential, it must be an assured open access network. It must treat all comers equally and provide uniform pricing for all access seekers.

“This will only happen if it is properly regulated and is an independent network, not controlled by any retailers, and not providing its own retail services.”

“If Australia gets it right, the NBN will be the platform for robust, vigorous competition amongst retailers that will drive prices down and encourage innovation. But if Australia gets it wrong, the NBN will wipe out competition.”

Mr Egan also addressed the need for the new NBN to be rolled-in first from country and regional areas of Australia as well as metropolitan areas currently in ‘black-spots’.

He highlighted the need to flip the telecommunication industry’s approach to network delivery on its head if the Government is to deliver on its promise of access to fair and affordable broadband for all Australians.

“For far too long country and regional Australia has been disadvantaged by poor telecommunications and Internet services,” Mr Egan said.

“The new NBN provides the opportunity to level the playing field and give regional Australia and a number of metropolitan areas in ‘black-spots’ a fair-go.

“For that reason, TERRiA believes there should be a requirement that areas that are currently under serviced relative to other parts of Australia should be the first focus of the NBN.

“In other words, we believe there should be a requirement that the network be ‘rolled-in’ from under serviced areas rather than ‘rolled-out’ from already better serviced areas.”

Mr Egan said TERRiA welcomed the opportunity to present evidence to the Senate Select Committee hearing today in preparation for its recommendations to the Government in March.

“This is an issue of profound public policy importance to Australia and it is important that there be a full examination of all possible approaches.

“We welcome the Senate’s interest in the new National Broadband Network and are grateful for the opportunity to appear before the committee today.”

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About TERRiA

TERRiA is a consortium of eight major infrastructure based telecommunications companies which will bid to provide Australia’s new National Broadband Network (NBN).  It includes AAPT, iinet, Internode, Optus, Macquarie Telecom, Primus, SOUL and TransACT.