The war between Telstra and Communications and IT Minister Helen Coonan escalated yesterday, as Telstra alleged in Federal Court that the Minister secretly offered the Optus-Elders (Opel) consortium a second chance to improve its bid for broadband services to rural Australia - and separately threatened to launch yet another legal action against the Minister, which would be its third in several weeks.
In the latest issue, Telstra wrote to Coonan, after receiving advice she had distributed thousands of pamphlets advising voters in some areas that they didn't have access to either ADSL or wireless broadband - but that the Opel work would correct this.
"Of the three examples Telstra has become aware of in the last 24 hours, one has ADSL and all three are within Next G wireless broadband coverage areas,"
said a spokesman. Telstra demanded Coonan retract the "commercially damaging information" by 5pm yesterday or face legal action, according to Communications Day.
