Telstra faces court over broadband price cuts
PrintWatchdog briefs lawyers as tensions escalate
Posted in Telecoms, 29th March 2004 11:14 GMT
Free webcast: Service level monitoring and management
Australia's competition watchdog is gearing up for a legal battle against incumbent telco Telstra.
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) confirmed that it is getting ready for court action, following an escalation of tension between the two sides.
Earlier this month the ACCC ruled that Telstra is engaged in anti-competitive conduct concerning the pricing of its wholesale broadband product.
Asked if it was preparing for court, ACCC chairman, Graeme Samuel, told the ABC: "Yes we are at the moment.
"We've started to put together the necessary documentation, briefed senior counsel and we've started to gather together now the witness statements necessary for us to go to court.
"I sincerely hope that that's not necessary, but that's going to be up to Telstra."
The competition notice issued by the ACCC refers to Telstra's decision to slash the price of its retail broadband service to AUS$29.95 (£12.25) - lower than its own wholesale price for the broadband service. ®
Related stories
Telstra faces fines over broadband price cuts
Broadband war breaks out in Australia
Analyst Keynote: The Register Agile Data Center Summit
Comparison Guide: IP Phones
Service level monitoring and management
The Register Agile Data Center Summit
Checklist: signs you need to upgrade your business phone system
Dirty, dirty PCs: The X-rated picture guide
Top 500 supers - rise of the Linux quad-cores
Early adopters bloodied by Ubuntu's Karmic Koala
Sign up, sign up for The Register IT security newsletter