Australia’s new Labor government has been planning a big roll out of a grand scale fiber to the node (FTTN) network. As part of this grand roll out the government introduced (and passed) legislation ordering telecommunications companies to give them data about their network infrastructure. The bill is known as the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment, or National Broadband Network Bill.
The government needs the information about the existing infrastructure so they can be better prepared to tie in their FTTN network to create a seamless connection and make everything work together. The information wouldn’t go to just the government, it would also be given to bidders for bits of the FTTN network. This has many of the telcos up in arms.
That the biggest resistor is Telstra comes as no surprise to many Australians. The company is known for putting its business interests before anything else, often including its customers. It sees the requirement of the release of data as a threat to its business structure.
Telstra is crying foul in the press, and claiming the new requirement would create possible ways for national security to be breached. Other telecommunications companies have indicated that they will gladly hand over their information without question. Telstra remains the sole hold out, and says they won’t be handing over the information until all of their concerns have been addressed.
We’d like theses things happen here in Canada. Some compagnies will be in troubles, if not all…
why does an article about Australia have the union jack flag???
Good catch. I must have grabbed the wrong flag from the pool of international flags.