MEDIA RELEASE - New regulations for next-generation broadband systems
Monday 2 November
2015
The
Government today announced new measures to enable industry to manage
interference between next-generation broadband systems and legacy systems using
copper cables.
The Telecommunications
Amendment (Next-Generation Broadband Interference Management) Regulation
2015 will enable industry to develop a code to manage broadband performance
when there is competition on a single cable bundle.
NBN Co,
through its agreements with Telstra, will be the main provider of next
generation broadband services over the Telstra copper network, including where
this network services multi-unit buildings like apartment blocks.
However,
Australia has an open and competitive telecommunications marketplace and there
is scope for alternative providers to supply competing next-generation services
over the same bundle of copper cables. When multiple providers want to operate
competing systems, there is a need to manage interference between services.
The
Government’s aim is for industry to put in place self-regulatory mechanisms to
deal with management of these interference issues to the greatest extent
possible.
Key
principles to guide industry when drafting the code are being finalised and
will be released shortly.
The code,
once developed, can be registered and enforced by the Australian Communications
and Media Authority (ACMA). The regulation also enables the ACMA to establish
its own standard if necessary.
The new
regulation will be available on the Federal Register of Legislative Instruments
at www.comlaw.gov.au.