The Federal Government has spelt out the precise information that Telstra and other carriers must provide to potential bidders for its $4.7 billion National Broadband Network funding ­ and given them two weeks to provide the information.

It did so yesterday with release of final "instruments", setting out the
network information that carriers must provide, along with rules to
safeguard the information. The instruments give carriers until the close of
business on August 22 to lodge the required information.

The announcement brought a Telstra taunt that Canberra bureaucrats were
causing delays and had the nation in "Heath Robinson land"

But Anthony Albanese, standing in for Comms and Broadband Minister Stephen
Conroy, said the release of these instruments is a key moment in the NBN
bidding process.

"It provides proponents with certainty over the information that will be
provided, the timeline over which this will occur and arrangements to
safeguard the information," Albanese said. "The Government has already
received a significant amount of information from Telstra that it is ready
to provide to proponents. This can occur when proponents have certified
appropriate security arrangements are in place."

The information will be "reviewed" by the Government before being forwarded
to would-be bidders, Albanese revealed. When all information has been
released, the Government will announce the final closing date for National
Broadband Network proposals.

Bidders will have 12 weeks to consider the network information.

In response to Albanese's announcement, Telstra spokesman Jeremy Mitchell
continued the line that Canberra has been holding up progress on the NBN.

"We are pleased to say that we're ahead of the game and submitted the new
information to the Government on Monday. Now it's time to get this show on
the road and reap the productivity benefits that this broadband network will
bring to Australia as quickly as possible," Mitchell said.

"We have no problem with the elected leaders on this, it's the bureaucracy
that has the whole country in Heath Robinson land and is causing delay."

 Heath Robinson was a noted English cartoonist of the 1940s who specialised
in drawings of wonderfully complex and absurdly impractical machines.