The Commerce Commission (ComCom) will be releasing an issues paper to hear views on whether the two new and unregulated unbundled bitstream access (UBA) services, Boost HD and Boost VDSL, proposed by Chorus on 14 May, fall within the category of regulated UBA service.
The issues paper is expected to be published on 7 July, with submissions due on 15 July and cross-submissions due on 18 July. A draft decision can be expected on 5 August, with a final decision by 9 September.
The decision to release the paper follows the concerns expressed by some industry participants at a workshop conducted by ComCom last week. According to ComCom, concerns expressed included that Chorus’s proposals for new unregulated services were unclear and their likely impact on consumers.
Chorus is required to provide ComCom with notice of any new unregulated UBA services, following which ComCom can assess whether the proposed variants fall within the existing service description outlined in the UBA STD ( Standard Terms Determination for Chorus’ Unbundled Bitstream Access Service).
““The Commission encourages Chorus to develop innovative variants that compete with the regulated service” said Stephen Gale, telecommunications commissioner. “The updated process will allow the Commission to seek the views of a full range of parties on Chorus’ proposal before publishing its draft decision.”
ComCom last assessed a new UBA variant in 2010 when Telecom proposed the wholesale VDSL2 service.