back to article Australia's universal telco service obligation's day is done

Australia's Productivity Commission (PC) has suggested the nation can probably scrap the telecommunications universal service obligation (TUSO) that requires every Australian be provided with a telephone connection. The base reason for the suggestion, contained in a draft report (PDF), is that the TUSO was designed for a time …

  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What? A national incumbent telecoms operator, negotiating a government contract where it trousers a load of taxpayers' cash and doesn't have to clearly account for it? It could never happen here!

    Say what you like about BDUK and BT, but it sounds like Telsra's got the sweetest gig on the planet.

    What did the Productivity Commission have to say about the long term employment prospects for the civil servants who negotiated this contract?

  2. Denarius
    Unhappy

    civil servants ?

    what's that ? A fair bit of public service has been outsourced, privatised and contracted out. The snouts in public trough are of those who are writing the rules about access to public trough. For some reason, the idea that sacking state employees and using private donors companies is cheaper and popular despite most citizens not wanting state owned enterprises sold off is still endemic despite its persistent failures to provide any benefits to the country in general. Perhaps the cognitive dissonance may fade after outsourcing the ATO to something like Westpac or Mastercard is carried out. The Romans used tax farming too,. Required legions to keep the peasants quiet. Oh wait, SAIC can do that too with Haliburton and spooks/snoopers.

  3. Pu02
    Coat

    Great days for lobbyists amongst the foolish

    This story takes the wrong angle.

    The USO is a costly imposition (even today) that Helstra has always been looking to get struck out of law.

    And here is a gubmint committee coming up with an angle that does just that (and all this lot could come up with was the excuse that it will 'save money', and only 3M at that).

    Yet once free from its USO, Helstra can stop maintaining and installing services in places it deems too expensive.

    NBN put this on the table, as once a nationwide FTH network was in place, the Copper (PSTN network) could have been decommissioned and the USO redefined in new or amended legislation.

    The USO is the only protection consumers have that mandates any form of PSTN service standard. How can it be removed when the copper network is still needed? What exactly are they saying can replace it?

    1. Denarius
      FAIL

      Re: Great days for lobbyists amongst the foolish

      copper still required ? Nah, sell off the NBN as planned, preferabbly to a potentially hostile company from overseas (merkinland comes to mind) and if you're not resident in Collins or George Street tough. market forces and economics you know...

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