Telstra is now required to report to the Australia Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) regarding third-party access to the telco’s exchange facilities.
This follows a string of complaints from access seekers regarding Telstra’s restrictions to its exchanges.
"There is a strong need for independent oversight of Telstra's processes to cap exchanges, to ensure that Telstra is held accountable and access seekers are not unreasonably denied access to Telstra exchanges," said Graeme Samuel, chairman of the ACCC.
Access seekers told the ACCC that Telstra is refusing to allow third-party access to its exchanges, citing a lack of space.
Access seekers have also complained that delays in Telstra’s queuing system have prevented them from installing equipment to provide ADSL2+ services, which would run in competition to Telstra’s own ADSL2+ services.
Under the new recording keeping rule instated by the ACCC, Telstra is obliged to give monthly reports on which exchanges have been capped or uncapped, the rationale for each change, and details of the amount of space reserved by Telstra for its own future requirements.
Telstra will also have to provide details of the queue for access seekers looking for room on its exchanges. These details include the position of each seeker in the queue and any progress made that month.
The ACCC said it has consulted with both Telstra and the access seekers making the complaints, with the “overwhelming majority” of submissions supporting the new measures.
