The ACCC collects detailed information from carriers in accordance with the Regulatory Accounting Framework (RAF), developed using powers given it under the Trade Practices Act 1974. The ACCC is now proposing to publicly release 'market indicator' information.
This information will include revenue, usage, market share and market growth information for a range of retail and wholesale Telecommunications services.
"The ACCC expects the regular release of basic 'market indicator' information from the RAF will promote a transparent market and improve the operation of regulatory processes," Ross Jones, commissioner responsible for telecommunications, said in a statement.
Ian Slattery, manager of regulatory affairs at Primus, told ZDNet Australia the ACCC has taken the easy way out. "Market indicators are nice to have, but it doesn't really deal with the major issue which is a vertically dominated monopoly market," he said.
"We already think the record keeping rules are inadequate," said Slattery. "The purpose should be to make public the information Telstra has on its monopoly servers to improve access and provisions at a wholesale level to competitors." Primus will be making a submission to that effect.
Greg Pettersen, senior analyst at AMR Interactive, told ZDNet Australia it would be interesting to see whether the proposals would help the small carriers or the large carriers. "I guess the ACCC are hoping by opening this transparency it will lead to an open market," he said. "But it could be counterproductive, only time will tell."
He added it could develop into a standard for companies to use if the information was accurate, but it would depend on how strongly the figures were audited. "At least, it may stop a few players quoting some overly optimistic figures of market share, particularly in the ISP space."
I'm not convinced anything the ACCC does will break the stranglehold monopoly T(H)elstra has on the IT/Communications infastructure and the marketplace.
Neither the ACCC or the government is going to change the status quo until the sale of the remainder of T(H)elstra is concluded.
The Minister doesn't have a clue. A neanderthal, if ever there was one!
Meanwhile, T(H)elstra will continue to thumb its nose at the ACCC.