<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=Windows-1252">
</head>
<body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-size: 14px; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">
<div>
<div>
<div>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Helvetica"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 18.0px Helvetica">Small carriers to get levies break</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times">The majority of Australian carriers would be exempt from paying universal service and national relay service levies under draft legislation put forward by communications minister Stephen Conroy,
while most could also be exempt from the annual carrier licence charge in future.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times">The proposals come in the draft Telecommunications (Participating Persons) Determination 2011, which has now been released for public consultation. According to the minister, the aim of the draft
determination is to remove unnecessary regulatory red tape for small telecommunications carriers.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times">In the current regulatory regime, telcos pay USO and NRS levies based on their eligible revenue. However, under the proposed draft, an eligible revenue threshold of $25 million would be set. Accord-
ing to the Australian Communication and Media Authority’s 2008–09 eligible revenue assessment, 170 of 194 carriers had eligible revenue of less than $25 million and would be exempt under the proposed draft changes.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times">Conroy said the move was part of the government's commitment to streamlining the eligible revenue assessment process. “It will reduce the regulatory compliance costs for smaller carriers as well
as reduce administrative costs for the ACMA,” he noted.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times">As well as the levies, the minister said the government would also take steps to exempt smaller carri- ers from paying the annual carrier licence charge.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times">To calculate eligible revenue, carriers are required to submit an eligible revenue return to the ACMA at the end of each financial year, which includes a form and supporting documents including
an inde- pendent auditors report. The ACMA then uses the information to assess each carrier’s eligible revenue, which is used to calculate a carrier’s contribution to the USO and NRS levies.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times">The ACMA also currently uses eligible revenue to calculate the variable component of a carrier’s an- nual carrier licence charge. The annual carrier licence charge also includes a fixed component.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times">However, according to the draft, for smaller carriers the cost of preparing and submitting their eligi- ble revenue return will often exceed their actual contribution to the levies.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times">The draft also noted that a $25 million eligible revenue threshold has been selected because it would align more closely with reporting processes mandated for Australian businesses under Commonwealth
legislation and regulations. It will allow the ACMA to align its requirements with the Corporations Act so that a company required to submit a return under the act would be required to submit a return to the ACMA.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times">The communications minister will also issue a direction to the ACMA to make necessary changes under the Telecommunications (Carrier Licence Charges) Act 1997 to exempt carriers with eligible reve-
nue of less than $25 million from paying the annual carrier licence charges. The ACMA is expected to consult on this at a later time.</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times"><br>
</p>
<p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 11.5px Times">Comments on the draft ministerial directive are due on May 16.</p>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">
<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#002060" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><br>
</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">
<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#002060" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">--- </span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">
<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#002060" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><br>
</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">
<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#002060" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; ">From Commsday 10220503. Check them out @ www.commsday.com.au and get the news before other people do.</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">
<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#002060" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><br>
</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">
<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#002060" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px; "><br>
</span></font></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0cm; font-size: 11pt; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; ">
<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#002060" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: xx-large; "></span></span></font></p>
<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#002060" size="4">
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Calibri; color: rgb(32, 73, 125); ">
...Skeeve</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 14px/normal Calibri; color: rgb(6, 32, 96); ">
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; ">
--</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; ">
Skeeve Stevens, CEO - eintellego Pty Ltd - The Networking Specialists</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; ">
skeeve@eintellego.net ; www.eintellego.net</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; ">
Phone: 1300 753 383 ; Fax: (+612) 8572 9954</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; ">
Cell +61 (0)414 753 383 ; skype://skeeve</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; ">
facebook.com/eintellego or eintellego@facebook.com</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; ">
twitter.com/networkceoau ; www.linkedin.com/in/skeeve</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; ">
PO Box 7726, Baulkham Hills, NSW 1755 Australia</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; min-height: 15px; ">
<br>
</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; ">
--</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; ">
eintellego - The Experts that the Experts call</p>
<p style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; font: normal normal normal 13px/normal Calibri; ">
- Juniper - HP Networking - Cisco - Brocade - Arista - Allied Telesis</p>
</font>
<p></p>
<font class="Apple-style-span" color="#1F497D">
<p></p>
</font>
<p></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</body>
</html>