Submission to Senate Environment and Communications Legislation Committee inquiry into the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment Bill 2019 and the Telecommunications (RBS) Charge Bill 2019
In short:
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Commpete supports the legislative package and considers on balance that its various measures help to promote competition.
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Commpete supports the regional broadband scheme (RBS) because it helps to level the playing field faced by retail service providers (RSPs) using the NBN vis-à-vis NBN comparable providers. It does this by sharing the cost of the subsidy of NBN’s fixed wireless and satellite services in uncommercial areas more fairly across the sector, rather than leaving it to be borne entirely by RSPs using the NBN. We would prefer to see the levy imposed more broadly across the sector (and to be accompanied by a write-down of NBN’s 2 assets) but rather than further add to the delayed implementation of the scheme, we consider that such an extension should be examined at the statutory review.
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Commpete is concerned about the prospect of further delay to the long overdue reform of the cross subsidy problem.
