The Government has responded
comprehensively to all 39 recommendations of the Regional Telecommunications
Inquiry.
Recommendation
|
Government response
|
Action
|
Fixed Telephones and Payphones (Chapter 2, Terms of Reference 1
and 2)
|
|
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.1
Telstra should continue to work with
representatives of people with disabilities to resolve any service concerns,
and consider their practical suggestions for service improvements. The
Government should consider any national policy issues raised with the
Inquiry, relating to access to telecommunications for people with
disabilities.
|
Accept
|
Telstra will work with
representatives of people with disabilities to resolve any services concerns.
The Department of Communications,
Information Technology and the Arts (DCITA) will report to Government on the
outcomes of work between Telstra and people with disabilities, and will
consider the implications of that work for national policy settings.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.2
The Government should review
arrangements for the costing and funding of the Universal Service Obligation.
This should also include assessing whether current arrangements are impeding
the development of competition in regional, rural and remote Australia.
|
Accept
|
The Government will undertake a
review of the Universal Service Obligation as required by section 159A of the
Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.3
Where extreme cases of Customer
Service Guarantee (CSG) non-compliance arise (i.e. more than five working
days late), they should receive direct priority attention by the service
provider, and should be notified to the Australian Communications Authority
and/or the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman as technical breaches of the
CSG.
|
Accept
|
The Government will ensure that
service providers give direct priority attention to cases of extreme CSG
non-compliance and that they are reported in a timely way to the Australian
Communications Authority (ACA).
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.4
Telstra should report publicly on the
outcome of its trial with the National Farmers' Federation to reduce
connection times in minor rural and remote areas where infrastructure is not
readily available, and identify what follow-up commitments it will make.
Should the Telstra trial not lead to a significant and ongoing improvement in
service outcomes in this area, the Government should review regulatory
arrangements, including CSG timeframes and interim service arrangements, to
assess whether further changes to timeframes are appropriate.
|
Accept
|
Telstra has already made a voluntary
commitment to reduce connection times in areas where infrastructure is
available in minor rural areas from 15 to 10 working days, and in minor rural
and remote areas where there is no cable infrastructure available from 130
working days to 20 working days. This commitment is already enforceable under
the CSG.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.5
Telstra should report to the Government
on the outcome of its project to improve the coordination of new service
connections. The impact of any changes should be monitored with a view to
determining the need for any further follow-up action.
|
Accept
|
Telstra will provide Government with
a report on the outcomes of its project to improve coordination for new
service connections. Monitoring arrangements will be established to determine
the need for any follow-up action.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.6
The Government should examine the
issue of network extension and trenching costs, to consider whether such
costs should be removed from subscribers, and either borne by Telstra as part
of its Universal Service Obligation provision, or supported by the Government
through subsidies.
|
Accept
|
The Government will undertake a
review of network extension and trenching costs, including considering how
such costs should be recovered.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.7
Telstra should promptly confirm to
the Government that it has an effective strategy for improving as soon as
possible the quality of telephone services affected by the use of 6/16 and
similar pair gain systems. Telstra should give a formal undertaking to the
Government, including providing timeframes, in relation to any actions
required to implement such a strategy. Progress in meeting this strategy
should be monitored by the ACA and reported on publicly.
|
Accept
|
Telstra will provide the Government
with a formal undertaking on its strategy, including timeframes, to improve,
as soon as possible, phone services affected by the use of 6/16 and similar
pair gain systems. Progress in meeting the strategy will be monitored by the
ACA and reported publicly.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.8
Telstra should provide a formal
undertaking to the Government to complete its upgrade of older radio concentrator
systems (ARCSs and DRCSs) under its Remote Areas Telecommunications
Enhancement (RATE) program, and according to a publicly available timetable.
|
Accept
|
Telstra will provide the Government
with a formal undertaking on the timing of the completion of the upgrade of
its remaining older radio concentrator systems under its RATE program. The
timetable will be publicly available.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.9
To immediately target the worst
performing Exchange Service Areas (ESAs) in regional, rural and remote Australia, the Government
should require the ACA to identify these ESAs as soon as possible after the
Network Reliability Framework commences in January 2003. Telstra should then
be required to provide a formal undertaking to the Government on its strategy
for raising the performance of these ESAs. Telstra's strategy should include
specific timeframes and commitments of funding, and its implementation should
be monitored and publicly reported by the ACA.
|
Accept
|
The Government has written to the ACA
asking it to identify the worst performing ESAs under the Network Reliability
Framework, and ensure that Telstra improves the performance of these ESAs.
Telstra will provide the Government with a formal undertaking on its strategy
to improve the performance of these ESAs, including a timetable and funding
commitments.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.10
The Government should adjust and
refine the Network Reliability Framework (NRF) as necessary over time to
improve its operation. These refinements should include expanding the range
of fault information provided under the NRF, and providing greater clarity
for Telstra and regional, rural and remote consumers about strategies to
improve reliability under the Framework.
|
Accept
|
The ACA will continue to refine the
NRF as necessary to ensure that it provides an effective mechanism for
improving the reliability of Telstra's telephone network.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.11
Telstra should be required to better
inform the public about its policies for providing payphones, including
ensuring that criteria for providing payphones are clearly and simply stated.
Telstra's criteria and processes for payphone installation decisions should
be reviewed by the Government. The Government should establish a clear policy
on future payphone availability.
|
Accept
|
Telstra will take steps to better
inform the public about its payphone policies.
The Government will work with Telstra
and the ACA to review payphone policy and ensure that the provision of
payphones under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) continues to be effective
and relevant.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.12
The sites of Telstra-operated
payphones, together with the numbers of payphones at each site, should be
made publicly and readily available. Consideration should be given to
including payphone locations at least in local telephone directories in
regional areas.
|
Accept
|
As in 2.11 above.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.13
Telstra should report as soon as
possible to the Government on the causes of low levels of performance in
meeting payphone repair timeframes, and put forward a strategy for raising
performance to an acceptable level, particularly in remote areas and
Indigenous communities.
|
Accept
|
As in 2.11 above.
|
RECOMMENDATION 2.14
The Government should review the
provision of payphone services to people with disabilities. In particular it
should take steps to ensure that competition in the supply of payphones does
not impact adversely on access to teletypewriter payphones.
|
Accept
|
As in 2.11 above.
|
Mobile phone services (Chapter 3, Term of Reference 1)
|
|
|
RECOMMENDATION 3.1
The Government, in conjunction with
the carriers, should identify areas where extending terrestrial mobile phone
service is still feasible through Government support for capital costs. The
Government should consider providing funding support to such areas, which
might include small population centres and key highways in regional areas.
|
Accept
|
The Government has allocated $15.9
million over four years to extend terrestrial mobile phone services to
smaller communities and regional highways where additional coverage is
feasible with Government support for capital costs.
|
RECOMMENDATION 3.2
The Government should consider
extending the scope of its satellite phone subsidy scheme to cover all users
with an appropriate need for a satellite service, and provide sufficient
funds to meet full demand for the scheme.
|
Accept
|
The Government has allocated a
further $4.0 million over four years to extend the subsidy.
The Government will undertake a
review of the eligibility guidelines of the current satellite handset subsidy
scheme.
|
RECOMMENDATION 3.3
The Government and industry should
inform consumers about mobile phone services, including technology and
coverage limitations, fees and charges, mobile number portability, and
contract issues. The ACA's Mobile [phone] Tool Kit has provided a valuable resource in
this respect.
|
Accept
|
The Government will ensure that the
ACA provides comprehensive and relevant information to consumers on mobile
phone services, including technology and coverage limitations, fees and
charges, mobile number portability and contract issues.
|
Internet services (Chapter 4, Term of Reference 1)
|
|
|
RECOMMENDATION 4.1
The benefits provided by the Internet
Assistance Program for users of dial-up Internet services should be
guaranteed into the future. A licence condition should be placed on Telstra
that would require all Australians to be guaranteed dial-up Internet speeds,
or equivalent throughput, over the Telstra fixed network of at least
19.2kbps. As part of the licence condition Telstra should be required to
report on its compliance with the requirement, and more generally on the data
speed performance of its regional network, which should be maintained at
least at current levels.
|
Accept
|
The Government will impose a licence
condition on Telstra to provide a minimum dial-up Internet speed for all
Australians of 19.2kbps or equivalent throughput over its fixed line network.
|
RECOMMENDATION 4.2
Telstra should be required to
demonstrate that it has an effective strategy to address any dial-up data
speed issues arising from poorly performing pair gain systems. Telstra should
provide a formal undertaking to the Government in relation to any actions
necessary to implement such a strategy.
|
Accept
|
Telstra will provide the Government
with a formal undertaking on implementation of a strategy to address dial-up
data speed issues arising from poorly performing pair gain systems.
|
Other key service issues (Chapter 5, Term of Reference 1)
Remote Indigenous
Communities
|
|
|
RECOMMENDATION 5.1
Telstra should place a high priority
on the provision of payphones, or alternative community phone systems, in
those remote Indigenous communities currently without access to
telecommunications of any kind.
|
Accept
|
The Government will work with Telstra
to ensure it adequately fulfils its obligation to provide payphones under the
universal service obligation. Through the $8.3 million Telecommunications
Action Plan for Remote Indigenous Communities (TAPRIC) program the Government
will offer community phones to remote Indigenous communities currently
without access to telecommunications services.
|
RECOMMENDATION 5.2
Telstra should commit to improving
the delivery of appropriate Universal Service Obligation services to remote
Indigenous communities, particularly through the deployment of specialised
call centre staff and Indigenous liaison officers.
|
Accept
|
The Government will work with Telstra
to improve delivery of USO services to remote Indigenous communities,
including through the deployment of specialised call centre staff and
Indigenous liaison officers.
|
RECOMMENDATION 5.3
There should be more effective data
collection and monitoring of telecommunications needs and services in remote
Indigenous communities. The Australian Communications Authority should take a
leading role in this area.
|
Accept
|
The Government will work with
Telstra, the ACA and the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission,
under the TAPRIC program, to improve data collection on the
telecommunications needs and services in remote Indigenous communities.
|
RECOMMENDATION 5.4
The Government should consider
providing ongoing support for IT training and support services in rural and
remote areas of Australia, where there are not the same opportunities as in urban
areas. Further support should build on existing programs, such as Networking
the Nation and State and Territory based initiatives.
|
Accept
|
The Government has allocated $10.1
million over four years for training and support in information technology
skills for rural and remote communications users.
|
RECOMMENDATION 5.5
All tiers of government should work
together to support online access centres in regional, rural and remote Australia, and to enable
these important community facilities to remain viable.
|
Accept
|
The Government will work with the
Online Council on strategies to maintain the viability of online access
centres, including those in remote Indigenous communities.
|
Higher bandwidth Internet services (Chapter 6, Terms of
Reference 1 and 3)
|
|
|
Recommendation 6.1
The Government should investigate
whether the timeframes for connection and repair of ISDN services that are
required under the Digital Data Service Obligation should be more closely
aligned with regulated timeframes applying to telephone services.
|
Accept
|
The Government will investigate the
suitability of current timeframes for connection and repair of ISDN services.
|
RECOMMENDATION 6.2
Some Telstra pricing arrangements for
ISDN services seem discriminatory, and would appear to unduly favour Telstra
over other providers. This should be brought to the attention of the
Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC).
|
Accept
|
The Government will seek formal
advice from the ACCC on ISDN pricing arrangements, and whether they unduly
favour Telstra over other providers.
|
RECOMMENDATION 6.3
The Government should establish an
incentive scheme for the provision of higher bandwidth services to regional,
rural and remote areas, to enable all Australians to have access to services
at prices comparable to those prevailing in metropolitan areas. A preferred
model for the scheme is provided in this report.
|
Accept
|
The Government has allocated $107.8
million over four years for a Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme.
|
RECOMMENDATION 6.4
The Government should provide further
support to communities to undertake demand aggregation strategies, and other
activities that would support the take-up of higher bandwidth services.
Support should also be considered to assist consumers and small businesses to
make effective use of higher bandwidth opportunities.
|
Accept
|
The Government will contribute $8.4
million over four years to demand aggregation brokers to work with
communities to aggregate regional demand for higher bandwidth services.
|
Legislated consumer safeguards (Chapter 7, Term of Reference 4)
|
|
|
RECOMMENDATION 7.1
Measures should be taken to provide
telecommunications consumers with a simplified statement of their legislated
rights, and to get the message to them more effectively. A one-page Summary
of Telecommunications User's Rights is recommended. The Government should explore
all relevant channels to ensure that information is provided to consumers
where and when they most need it.
|
Accept
|
The ACA will provide further
information to consumers on their legislated rights.
|
RECOMMENDATION 7.2
Data on telecommunications compliance
and performance should be collected at an appropriate level of disaggregation
to allow ready assessment of relative performance levels. The ACA should put
in place a data collection framework, to ensure comprehensive, disaggregated,
standardised and meaningful collection of data on regional, rural and remote
telecommunications services and service performance.
|
Accept
|
The ACA will establish an integrated
framework for the collection of data on telecommunications services and
service performance.
|
RECOMMENDATION 7.3
The Australian Communications
Authority should examine how it can best communicate to the public and
consumer representatives its regulatory philosophy and approach, and examine
whether and how it should provide greater clarity and certainty about its
regulatory enforcement activities.
|
Accept
|
The ACA will clarify its regulatory
philosophy and approach for consumers.
|
Telstra's local presence (Chapter 8, Term of Reference 5)
|
|
|
RECOMMENDATION 8.1
Telstra should be required to
maintain an ongoing local presence in regional, rural and remote Australia. The requirement
should only apply to Telstra consistent with its status as the primary
universal service provider. The requirement should not be unduly prescriptive
or burdensome, and should be broadly compatible with Telstra's commercial
interests.
|
Accept
|
The Government will impose a licence
condition on Telstra to maintain a local presence in regional, rural and
remote Australia, including through
developing a local presence plan, and reporting publicly on its achievements
against the plan.
|
RECOMMENDATION 8.2
Telstra should be required to develop
and publish a local presence plan to set out the range of activities and
strategies it would deploy in regional Australia to address the Government's broad
objectives. Telstra would be required to regularly report on its achievements
against the plan and to demonstrate to the Government, and to regional
communities, that it was providing an effective and beneficial local
presence.
|
Accept
|
As for 8.1 above.
|
Sharing future benefits (Chapter 9, Term of Reference 6)
|
|
|
RECOMMENDATION 9.1
The Government should put in place a
process to regularly review telecommunications services in regional, rural
and remote Australia, and to assess whether important new service
advancements are being delivered equitably in those areas.
The review process should be linked
to a strategic plan for regional telecommunications, and underpinned by
ongoing arrangements that provide a high degree of certainty that Government
funds will be made available to support service improvements in regional,
rural and remote Australia, where they will not be delivered commercially within a
reasonable timeframe.
|
Accept
|
The Government will develop a
strategic plan for regional telecommunications in consultation with key
stakeholders.
The Government will legislate to
require regular reviews on the adequacy of services in regional, rural and
remote Australia to be undertaken by
an independent expert panel appointed by the Minister for Communications,
Information Technology and the Arts. Reviews will be structured and carried
out in line with RTI Recommendations 9.2, 9.3 and 9.4, and must be undertaken
no later than five years apart.
|
RECOMMENDATION 9.2
Establishing a structure for future
reviews of regional, rural and remote telecommunications services should:
- provide certainty for
regional, rural and remote communities;
- ensure that reviews are
independent from executive government;
- allow for flexible and
appropriate policy responses to meet the range of needs in regional,
rural and remote Australia; and
- promote competition and
commercial service delivery as the most effective and sustainable
service outcome.
|
Accept
|
The legislation referred to in 9.1
above will specify that the review must be conducted by a panel that is
independent from Government.
|
RECOMMENDATION 9.3
The scope of regular reviews of
regional, rural and remote telecommunications services should be flexible,
but there should be a core focus on assessing whether important new telecommunications
services are available equitably across Australia.
|
Accept
|
As for 9.1 above.
|
RECOMMENDATION 9.4
Future governments should be legally
obliged to respond publicly to the recommendations of future reviews, and to
justify responses that are not in accord with review recommendations.
|
Accept
|
The legislation referred to in 9.1
above, will specifically require the reports of the reviews to be tabled in
Parliament and require the Government to prepare a formal, public response to
the report's recommendations.
|
RECOMMENDATION 9.5
The Government should provide funding
for future service improvements in regional, rural and remote Australia, rather than
imposing financial obligations on industry.
|
Accept in principle the intent of
this recommendation
|
The Government accepts the principle
that support for non-commercial service improvements in regional Australia should be provided
transparently by Government, and should aim to promote competition and
minimise market distortions.
|
RECOMMENDATION 9.6
The Government should ensure that
regular reviews of regional telecommunications services are supported by
organisational arrangements that provide a strong focus on monitoring and
assessing regional, rural and remote service levels. The ACA would be an
appropriate body to undertake this function.
|
Accept
|
Both the DCITA and the ACA will
continue to focus strongly on regional telecommunications issues, including
through ongoing improvements to monitoring and assessing regional, rural and
remote service levels.
|