From
http://www.news.com.au/business/stor...-31037,00.html
TELSTRA is taking more legal action against Federal Communications Minister
Helen Coonan, this time over her plan to block the closure of the CDMA
mobile network.
Telstra filed documents in the Federal Court today claiming that Senator
Coonan had breached her ministerial responsibility by deciding to impose a
licence condition blocking the closure before receiving evidence from the
telco.
The same court is already scheduled to hear a Telstra challenge this
Thursday to the Government's decision to award a broadband contract to rival
Optus.
Senator Coonan announced last month that she would impose the licence
condition to stop Telstra closing the CDMA mobile phone network in the bush
until the adequacy of the Next G network was proven.
Senator Coonan said she was responding to complaints from members of the
public about dropouts and coverage difficulties from the new network.
But Telstra group managing director of public policy and communications Phil
Burgess said Senator Coonan was putting politics before common sense.
"The scent of election politics rather than advancing consumer interest
unfortunately permeates all of the minister's recent policy decisions," Dr
Burgess said.
"Telstra shareholders have spent more than $1 billion building a world-class
Next G mobile network that brings mobile and broadband data services to 98.8
per cent of Australians but the minister seems hell bent on blocking its
further expansion by making it economically unviable."