Under the Terms, the Taskforce will conduct a public consultation on the draft guidelines, issue final guidelines, conduct the assessment process and provide the Australian Government with recommendations on the broadband proposals received.
The Taskforce is chaired by Department of Communications, IT and the Arts secretary Patricia Scott, and includes Treasury Secretary Ken Henry and the deputy secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, Jenny Goddard.
“The assessment process will call for industry proposals to detail price and non-price terms and conditions and identify the regulatory conditions required to facilitate a commercial build,” Senator Coonan said.
“As outlined in the terms of reference, the guidelines for the competitive bids process will be developed by the Expert Taskforce in consultation with industry.
“The Taskforce is also responsible for assessing the proposals as they relate to the Government’s objective of enabling the roll out of a new high speed broadband network.
“The Terms of Reference provide for an open and transparent process that will be run in a timely manner,” Senator Coonan said.
An indicative timeframe for the competitive bids process will be released with the draft guidelines.
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