On 30 July 2021 the ACCC commenced a public inquiry, under Part 25 of the Telecommunications Act 1997, into the declared wholesale asymmetrical digital subscriber line (WADSL) service. The ACCC has released a Consultation and position paper to facilitate its inquiry.
Under the Competition and Consumer Act 2010 the ACCC must hold a public inquiry about whether to extend, revoke, vary, allow to expire or remake the WADSL service declaration before it expires on 13 February 2022.
The ACCC’s position, as set out in the Consultation and position paper, is that continued declaration of the WADSL service until 30 June 2024 will promote competition and align the expiry of the declaration with that of other Telstra fixed line services currently declared by the ACCC.
The due date for submissions was 10 September 2021. Submissions received are available at: Consultation and position paper.
On 9 December 2021, the ACCC concluded its inquiry and released its Final Decision to further extend the expiry date of the WADSL service declaration until 30 June 2024. The Final Decision is available below.