NBN company established, looks for CEO

update The Federal Government has established the state-owned company that will build and administer the National Broadband Network and will soon announce the appointment of search firm to find its chief executive and board.

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy detailed the moves at a Press Club speech held in Canberra this afternoon.

Questioned by journalists whether the new chief executive would be paid similar remuneration to Telstra CEOs, Conroy said no, because the environment had changed substantially, but that they would receive "reasonable remuneration".

The Government had already fielded "enormous interest" in the NBN CEO position, Conroy said, and it would be announcing something with respect to the position "in the coming weeks or months".

Conroy named the NBN company as the "National Broadband Network Company" in notes distributed following the speech, but searches of the Australian Securities and Investments Commission and Australian Business Register web sites have not yielded any details of its registration so far.

The minister noted that the first NBN legislation would be introduced in winter parliamentary sittings, including a bill to require greenfield (new) property developments to use fibre to the premises technology from 1 July 2010 and for the Government to acquire network information needed to assist in the design of the NBN.

The news comes as the Government on Friday kicked off its search for a lead adviser to deliver the nine-month implementation study that will map out the future of the $43 billion project.

The winning bidder is to start delivering services from the week commencing 6 July, with interim portions of the implementation study report to be delivered as early as from August this year.