[LINK] Stand up, ACCC

[Roger Clarke]

At 15:41 +0000 30/8/11, stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
>The gouge is on for NBN users

At 10:25 +1000 31/8/11, David Boxall wrote:
>Two word response:
>Murdoch Media.

Funnily enough, my reaction was that it's the first time in my life 
I've ever seen anything from Ergas that I felt some affinity with.

I'm not convinced NBNCo *is* on the consumer-rape-and-pillage mission 
that Ergas suggests;  but a warning shot across their bows, and 
encouragement to ACCC to have some ticker, are both 'good things' in 
my book.


>By Henry Ergas The Australian August 26, 2011 12:00AM
>http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/the-gouge-is-on-for-nbn-
>users/story-e6frg6zo-1226122392946  (snip)
>
>Central to the government's case for the NBN was that it "would not need
>to make the rate of return that the telco sector is used to".
>
>"This project", Stephen Conroy promised, only requires "a modest return
>of 6 to 7 per cent". And no less an authority than Julia Gillard said a
>return a smidgen above the commonwealth bond rate would be "a viable rate
>of return" for the NBN, "recovering all its funding costs".
>
>Yet NBN Co now wants to charge consumers on the basis of rates of return
>that start at seven times the bond rate, and that even when the network
>is fully mature, remain far above it.
>
>Reconciling the government's repeated claims with NBN Co's ask must put
>the ACCC in a difficult position.
>
>So now is the time for the ACCC to stand up for consumers. No one else
>will. And that is why it exists as an independent statutory body. It has
>made its share of mistakes. Here's a chance for its new chairman to show
>it remains an institution well worth feeding.


-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University