Do try to keep up Boob, that article is over a month old.
Here's the latest
Senate enquiry approves Telstra reforms
A Senate committee has given the green light to the federal government's
plan to break up Telstra.

The Senate Environment, Communications and the Arts Legislation Committee
issued a report on Monday which recommended the government's draft laws be
passed without delay.

"The Committee accepts the view of the government and most industry
stakeholders that the separation of Telstra will bring long term benefits,"
the report concluded.

The report said there was not enough evidence that the reforms would damage
Telstra's share price.

The reforms are part of the government's plan to roll out a national
broadband network.



"Aussie Bob" <aussiebob@telstra,com.au> wrote in message
news:4ae571f4$0$6092$afc38c87@news.optusnet.com.au ...
> From
> http://www.smh.com.au/business/now-f...0915-fote.html
>
> Just because Sol Trujillo has departed, it doesn't mean Australia is
> without a telecommunications bully capable of flying off the handle and
> needlessly trashing relationships without due regard to a more reasonable
> culture of negotiation and consensus-building.
>
> Stepping up to take Trujillo's title as chief head-kicker is one Senator
> Stephen Conroy. And there's a good chance that he'd take that description
> as a compliment.
>
> Conroy's form as a Labor factional bovver boy is on display in his
> rambunctious "my way or the highway" ultimatum to Telstra shareholders. In
> some ways it's a shame Trujillo isn't still around - his response would
> have been memorable.
>
> What's missing from Conroy's swinging attack on private property rights in
> his attempt to promote greater competition is the necessary admission of
> culpability: the perceived problem of Telstra competing with those who
> would like to have access to the network Telstra owns is all the Labor
> government's fault - not the fault of Telstra's shareholders who are now
> being ordered by Comrade Conroy to suck it up for the greater good.
>
> No, not the fault of this Labor Government, but the previous one that
> stuffed up Telstra's privatisation in the first place. It's a bit rich
> that Conroy now wants to fix his predecessors' mistake by lumbering the
> cost and loss of rights onto the people Canberra encouraged to buy Telstra
> shares.
>
> It's a basic principle of half-decent government that if it wants to
> acquire property from individuals, it must fairly compensate them. There's
> zero hint of that in Conroy's ultimatum to Telstra to functionally
> separate, to treat its competitors as nicely as its own customers, to
> facilitate the cherry-picking of key customers while still having to
> provide an onerous "Universal Service Obligation" and quit its Foxtel
> holding and ownership of the hybrid cable Foxtel uses.
>
> That Conroy is taking a cricket bat to the heads of Telstra shareholders
> when he's yet to work out just how his National Broadband Network thingy
> might really function is simply thuggish.
>
> Conroy has talents, but calm and reasoned administration tends not to be
> mentioned as one of them.
>
> There is a great and somewhat inevitable opportunity - or there was until
> today - to reasonably fix the mistake made by Kim Beazley and Paul Keating
> through the NBN process. Telstra's network could fairly form the backbone
> of the NBN at a great saving to taxpayers and at a fair price to Telstra
> shareholders.
>
> Perhaps Conroy is just applying Beijing-style leverage to those
> negotiations.
>
> Forcing Telstra to sell its Foxtel stake is somewhat more interesting and
> lacks the clear "greater good" argument that can be applied to functional
> and perhaps actual separation.
>
> And making Telstra a forced seller with Murdoch and Packer having first
> dibs is a dubious proposition. Is this why Kerry Stokes has been so keen
> at get a slice of Packer's Foxtel pie?
>
> There's also a degree of injustice for those with long memories. Telstra
> was the patsy in the Foxtel syndicate, losing a fortune rolling out the
> cable while Murdoch and Packer made a fortune selling content to run on
> the cable.
>
> Given the constant attacks on the Rudd Government by Murdoch media, one is
> left to wonder why Conroy would now want to do that camp such a big
> favour.