The ACCC will force Telstra to provide ongoing reports about access to Telstra exchange facilities, in response to continued complaints from ISPs.

"A large number of access seekers have complained that Telstra is refusing to provide access to exchanges on the grounds that there is insufficient space", said the ACCC in a statement.

"In addition, access seekers have complained that lengthy delays associated with Telstra's queuing system are preventing them installing equipment in exchanges to provide ADSL2+ services to consumers, in competition with Telstra."

The new "record keeping rule" means that Telstra will have to provide monthly reports on the status of exchanges, including whether they are "capped", the amount of space it has reserved for itself in the exchanges, and information about access queues and which telcos are in them.

But this is not the first time the ACCC has placed such a rule on Telstra. According to an old ACCC statement, it required Telstra to "report to the Commission weekly on the time it processes applications for access to exchanges". The ACCC claimed after a year that it had "significantly improved the situation for Telstra's competitors in obtaining timely access and in rolling out competing services."

Full detail about the new rule can be read here.

Links:

• Media Release  (ACCC, 14 Jul 2008)
• ACCC responds to Telstra pricing changes  (Whirlpool, 26 Jan 2002)