The Commerce Commission has received proposals from Telecom covering the non-price terms for the unbundled local loop and co-location regulated services.

Submissions on Telecom's proposals are sought from interested parties. The closing date for these submissions is Thursday 28 June 2007.

Telecom's proposals can be found on the Commission's web site.

On receipt of these submissions, the Commission will prepare draft Determinations incorporating both price and non-price terms. It is anticipated that these draft Determinations will be issued by the end of July.

Background

Telecom's proposals can be found on the Commission's web site under:

The copper local loop or local loop unbundling (LLU) refers to the standard copper pairs (telephone line) that run from a telephone exchange to an end-user's home. Access to the LLU service allows other operators to provide voice and broadband services to consumers.

Access to Telecom's co-location service allows other operators to install their LLU equipment in Telecom's local exchanges so that they can make use of the standard copper pairs.

On 22 December 2006, the Telecommunications Act was amended to incorporate a process for the Commission to make a determination (a 'standard terms determination') on which a designated access or specified service must be supplied by an access provider to all access seekers requesting the service. A standard terms determination will include:

  • non-price terms developed by an access provider, usually in consultation with access seekers; and
  • price terms for access to the service, set by the Commission.

The standard terms determination should be comprehensive enough and contain sufficient detail so that there is no need for an access seeker and access provider to enter into a separate agreement for provision of the service within the specified timeframe.

The Act specifies that the following steps must take place before a standard terms determination may be made by the Commission:

  • Initiation of the determination process;
  • At least one scoping workshop;
  • Commission issues notice to provide a standard terms proposal;
  • Access provider submits a standard terms proposal;
  • Submissions from access seekers on the standard terms proposal;
  • Commission issues draft standard terms determination;
  • Parties to provide submissions on the draft standard terms determination;
  • Commission issues standard terms determination.

A brief overview of the key steps in a standard terms determination process is available on the Commission's web site   under Standard Terms Determinations