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Metro Broadband Connect glossary

The definitions given below are consistent with those given in the final Program Guidelines

A

ACCC means the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

ACMA means the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Added Value Service means a Service registered for supply in a Service Area in which a Threshold Service has been registered and which provides actual peak and average Data Speeds not less than those required for the Threshold Service as well as additional functionality or features, over and above requirements (a) and (e) through to (i) of the Threshold Service.

Applicants must register at least one Added Value Service which is to be provided over the same Service Solution that delivers the Applicant's Threshold Service. This Added Value Service must provide a peak Data Speed of at least 512 kbps to the Customer and 128 kbps from the Customer and a minimum monthly usage allowance (download and upload) of at least 1 GB.

Added Value Services must satisfy Data Speed requirements specified in the Applicant's description of the Service. All Added Value Services will be subject to testing as described in Section 4.6.

ADSL means an Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line.

Agreement means the legal agreement between DCITA and a Provider concerning the supply of Services or Wholesale Services under the Program.

Allowable Costs means that portion of costs a Provider incurs in providing Services or Wholesale Services against which Incentive Payments may be allocated. (See Sections 4.13.11 and 4.13.12 for further information on Allowable Costs).

Applicant means a retail or infrastructure provider who is applying to become a Provider.

AUP means Acceptable Usage Policy.

B

Broadband Connect means the Broadband Connect program.

Business means an activity undertaken as a commercial enterprise on an ongoing basis, or engaged in for the purpose of profit on a continuous and repetitive basis.

C

Commercial Investment means a Provider's infrastructure deployment that would have been undertaken without assistance under the Program.

CPE means customer premises equipment.

Customer means an Eligible Customer with whom a Provider has entered into Terms and Conditions to supply a Service.

Customer Transfer Payment means the Incentive Payment or part thereof made by DCITA to a Service Provider to assist it to provide a Service to a Pre-existing Customer.

D

Data Speed means the speed at which data bits, comprising both protocol headers and data payload, are carried by a service. This contrasts with throughput, which refers to the delivery of actual payload data bits (that is, the content useable to end-users), excluding protocol overheads. Data Speed is measured in kilobits per second, and is determined through the testing regime established by DCITA for Metro Broadband Connect.

DCITA means the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts.

Demand Register means the demand register available at Metro Broadband Connect Online which allows Eligible Customers to register their interest in being supplied with a Service.

E

Eligible Customer means:

1. a residential customer;
2. a Small Business;
3. a Not-for-profit Organisation with 20 or fewer permanent FTEs at the time of application for a Service; or
4. a Not-for-profit Organisation where the Service to be supplied is for the provision by the organisation or agency of a Not-for-profit Public Access Internet Facility.

Eligible Premises means any premises in the Metro Broadband Connect Area that did not have access to an Equivalent Service at the Start of the Program or in exceptional circumstances described in Section 3.2. DCITA is the final arbiter of whether a customer's premises are considered to be Eligible Premises.

Equivalent Service means a Higher Bandwidth Service that provides access to the internet at a peak Data Speed of at least 256 kbps and from the internet at a peak Data Speed of at least 64 kbps, and 400 MB per month usage allowance, and has the following pricing:

1. a package including equipment, installation and monthly usage over three years at a price of up to $2000; or
2. a package including equipment, installation and monthly usage over three years at a price of up to $3000 where additional features or functionality of a value equal to or exceeding the additional price allowance are provided.

Exit Strategy means the arrangements by which a Provider manages its Customer base should it ceases to provide Services or Wholesale Services. In particular it refers to actions to be taken by the Provider to ensure that there is minimal negative impact on its Customers or resellers if it ceases to provide Services or Wholesale Services.

F

FTE means full time equivalent employee, regardless of whether or not the employees are permanent employees, and includes the clarifications described in Sections 3.1.3 to 3.1.5.

G

Guidelines means the Program Guidelines as issued by DCITA.

GB means Gigabyte and is equal to 1000 Megabytes

H

HiBIS means the Higher Bandwidth Incentive Scheme.

High Cost has the meaning given to it in Section 2.7.

High Cost Incentive Payment has the meaning given in Section 4.13.4.

Higher Bandwidth Service means any internet access service that provides access to the internet at a peak Data Speed of at least 256 kbps and from the internet at a peak Data Speed of at least 64 kbps.

I

Incentive Payment means either a Standard Incentive Payment or a High Cost Incentive Payment, or a portion thereof, that is paid by DCITA to a Provider, either after the Service Provider has supplied a Service to an Eligible Customer at Eligible Premises or, in the case of an Infrastructure Provider, after the supply of a Wholesale Service to a reseller that has used this Wholesale Service to supply a Higher Bandwidth Service to Eligible Premises.

Infrastructure Provider means a Provider who has registered with Metro Broadband Connect for the purposes of providing Wholesale Services and receiving a designated share of the Incentive Payment. An Infrastructure Provider must also register as a Service Provider if it provides retail services.

K

kbps means kilobits per second.

kilobit means 1000 bits.

kilobyte means 1000 bytes.

M

MB means Megabyte, and is equal to 1000 kilobytes.

Metro Broadband Connect means the Metropolitan Broadband Connect program.

1. the capital cities of Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Hobart and Darwin; and
2. the adjacent high population centres of Wollongong, the Central Coast of NSW, Newcastle, Geelong, Palmerston and the Gold Coast including Tweed Heads,

the boundaries of which are defined by the relevant Urban Centre/Locality boundaries published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics as at 30 September 2002 in 2909.0 – Statistical Geography: Volume 3 – Australian Standard Geographical Classification (ASGC) Urban Centres/Localities (Issue 2001 released 30 September 2002; ISBN 0 642 47821 X) and described in Section 3.2.1.

Metro Broadband Connect-compliant Pricing means pricing of a Higher Bandwidth Service supplied by a Service Provider that meets the price requirements of that Provider's Threshold Service or Added Value Service.

Metro Broadband Connect Online means the portion of the DCITA website dealing with the Program, and the information and program management tools provided at that site and which is located at MBC.

N

New Housing/Business Estates means construction of a large number of premises in an identified single or staged development within the Metro Broadband Connect Area.

New Service means a Service provided by a Service Provider to a Customer who was not previously receiving an Equivalent Service from a service provider.

Not-for-profit Organisation means an organisation or a corporation that is formed for social, recreational, educational, charitable, philanthropic or other lawful purposes where any profit earned can only be applied to the organisation as a whole and not to individual members of the organisation. It does not include any Australian, State, Territory or local Government agency.

Not-for-profit Public Access Internet Facility means a facility which allows one or more members of the public to access, or share access, to the internet. For it to be provided on a not‑for‑profit basis means that any revenue earned from the Service is applied only to the provision of the Service or the operation of the organisation.

O

Online Service Locator means the facility described in Section 3.5.1.

P

PGS means Pair Gain Systems.

Pre-existing Customer means a customer other than a Public Internet Access Facility customer who meets all the program's eligibility requirements, and who at the time of the registration of its Provider was receiving a Higher Bandwidth Service that was comparable, except in regard to price, to the Service Provider's registered Service.

Privacy Act means the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth).

Program means the Metropolitan Broadband Connect program.

Provider means a Service Provider or Infrastructure Provider.

Public Access Internet Facility means a facility which allows one or more members of the public to access, or share access, to the internet.

R

RIM means Remote Integrated Multiplexer.

S

Service means an internet service meeting the performance and pricing requirements of the services (described in Section 4.6) that is registered under the Program and included for supply by a Service Provider under its Agreement.

Service Area means the geographic area or areas that have been included in the Agreement of a Provider as the areas to which it will offer a particular Service or Wholesale Service.

Service Provider means a retail internet service provider registered under the Program and with whom DCITA has an Agreement to offer Services to Eligible Customers under the Program.

Service Solution means the particular category of work undertaken to extend an existing technology platform or to deploy a new technology platform to supply a Service or Wholesale Service. Providers must identify the types of Service Solutions they are using as part of registering a Service or Wholesale Service. When making claims for Incentive Payments, Providers must identify the Service Solution used to supply the Service or Wholesale Service.

Service Upgrade means the arrangements by which a Customer changes from a lower level to a higher level of Service in terms of Service performance, quality of Service and/or any other feature or functionality.

Small Business means a Business with 20 or fewer FTEs.

Standard Cost has the meaning given to it in Section 2.7.

Standard Form of Agreement means a standard form of agreement under section 479(2)(b) of the Telecommunications Act 1997 (Cth).

Standard Incentive Payment has the meaning given in Section 4.13.4.

Start of the Program means the time of the release of these Guidelines, being 8 March 2006.

Streamlined Application Form means the form that will be used by registered Broadband Connect providers to apply for registration as Providers.

T

Terms and Conditions means the terms and conditions on which a Service is supplied by a Service Provider to a Customer, including mandatory terms and conditions required under the Program.

Threshold Service means a Service that provides:

1. access to the internet;
2. a peak Data Speed of at least 256 kbps to the Customer and 64 kbps from the Customer;
3. average data download and upload speeds of at least 60 per cent of these peak speeds at least 75 per cent of the time as measured according to a prescribed Metro Broadband Connect testing schedule for test computers located in different geographic regions described in Section 4.6.2.2;
4. a minimum monthly usage allowance (download and upload) of at least 500 MB;
5. availability 99 per cent of the time, averaged over a quarterly period;
6. free 24 hour fault reporting;
7. staffed helpdesk services as agreed between DCITA and the Service Provider;
8. where Customer data usage limits apply, Customer data usage information is to be updated at least once per day;
9. the ability, upon request of the Customer, to inform the Customer of current usage and any associated costs; and either:
10. a Standard Cost package including equipment, installation and monthly usage over three years at a price of up to $1500; or
11. a High Cost package including equipment, installation and monthly usage over three years at a price of up to $2000.

TIO means the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

U

Urban Infill means premises built on vacant blocks, multi-dwelling units constructed where separate premises previously existed, and other incremental additions to the overall stock of premises within the Metro Broadband Connect Area.

W

Wholesale Service means a wholesale service registered under the Program capable of supporting the supply of a Service.

Working Day means a day other than:

1. a Saturday or a Sunday; or
2. a day that is a public holiday or an Australian Public Service holiday in the relevant place.

Document ID: 34153 | Last modified: 5 February 2008, 7:38pm