Aussie minister cool on Telstra plans
Australia's telecommunications minister gave the cold shoulder to Telstra's pledge to maintain service in the rural outback.
Communications Minister Helen Coonan Tuesday blasted the draft of Telstra's Local Presence Plan as lacking specifics about service levels and planned activities in remote areas once the company is privatized.
Australian lawmakers and outback residents have been vocal in their concerns that a privatized Telstra might disconnect remote communities as it upgrades its infrastructure.
"Telstra's Local Presence Plan must be tangible -- it must be meaningful -- and it must be a genuine outline of how Telstra plans to meet its obligations," Coonan said in a statement.
Telstra told the Herald Sun that it would continue working with the government to address Coonan's concerns.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International