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The full program for the ACCANect Conference is now available online.

Like previous years, the Conference has attracted a high calibre of speakers and panellists including: the new Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, Judi Jones, the new Disability Commissioner, Alastair McEwin, the new Small Business and Family Enterprise Ombudsman, Kate Carnell, as well as consumer representatives such as CHOICE and Consumer Affairs Victoria.

Read more: ACCANect Conference speakers and panellists revealed

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Increasingly providers are advertising and pricing broadband plans based on speed; stating exact speeds that they can provide such as up to ‘12/1Mbps’, ‘25/5Mbps’ or ‘100/40Mbps.’ They are also using terms and price tiers that imply faster speed levels such as ‘high speed internet’, ‘super boost’, ‘lightning fast’, ‘superfast’ or ‘max speed.’

ACCAN is concerned that consumers are negatively affected by the lack of clarity about what these claims mean. The ACCC has raised concerns regarding consumer information about broadband and says these speed claims and terms “might misrepresent the speeds that the retail broadband service can consistently achieve, especially during peak periods”.

Read more: Have your say on broadband speed claims

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Accurate and comprehensible captions on broadcast television provide a better viewing experience for many people.

Captions are an essential service for people who are Deaf or hearing-impaired. They also assist young children and people learning English, provide additional information for people with cognitive impairments and allow many people who are in noisy environments to know what is being said on TV.

Read more: More captioning needed on Australian TV

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This year our Conference, ACCANect: Equipping Consumers to Stay Connected, will focus on how consumers can navigate the often complex digital world. As part of the National Year of Digital Inclusion, the Conference will aim to empower consumers to get and stay connected to the phone and broadband services they need. The sessions and panels will look at practical tools for consumers to achieve this.

Read more: Network and be inspired at the ACCANect Conference

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We’re excited to announce that the ACCANect Conference will be emceed by renowned freelance journalist and facilitator, Julie McCrossin. Julie has had a distinguished career as a broadcaster with ABC Radio National, ABC TV and Network Ten. She is well known for her warmth, intelligence and commitment to social justice issues.

Read more: MC and keynote confirmed for ACCANect Conference

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If like me you’ve got Teflon-coated hands, then dropping your mobile phone and breaking your screen is a regular occurrence. To avoid expensive repair jobs you might consider taking out insurance. ACCAN’s investigator, Xavier O’Halloran, wades through the legal fine print and uses his abacus to crunch the numbers on three of the major insurance plans.

Read more: Should I insure my smartphone?

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Planning for our 2016 Conference, ACCANect: Equipping Consumers to Stay Connected, is well underway. We’re curating an exciting program (stay tuned for updates!) which will feature some inspirational and key figures in the telecommunications space. You can now register for the Conference. Remember: if you register before 12 August you can take advantage of early bird rates.

This is a busy time of year for everyone, and before we know it, it will be September and we’ll be welcoming you to our 2016 Annual Conference. While we were workshopping ideas and speakers for this year’s Conference, we got a little nostalgic and wanted to share with you some highlights of our past events.

Read more: Highlights from our past Conferences

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ACCAN has a broad membership base that represents groups in the community sector, disability sector, small business owners and more.

Our members are invaluable to the work we do as they are often invited to have their say in our submissions and consultations. Not only that, we look to our members to support ACCAN’s work and to let us know of the issues affecting their stakeholders.

Read more: ACCAN members have their say

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We interviewed the new Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), Judi Jones, for our Winter Magazine to find out more about her past work experience and the future direction of the TIO.

Read more: Our interview with the new TIO, Judi Jones

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You’re invited to attend our 2016 National Conference - ACCANect: Equipping Consumers to Stay Connected. Registrations are now officially open.

The ACCANect Conference will be held in Sydney on 14-15 September, 2016. Register before 12th August to take advantage of early bird pricing.

Read more: You can now register for the 2016 ACCAN Conference

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We’re pleased to announce the successful Grants for 2016. This year the projects look at a range of communications consumer issues including the ballooning market of mental health apps, the security implications of smart home Internet of Things devices, and ways to assist victims of identity theft.

The ACCAN Grants Scheme funds projects which undertake research on telecommunications issues, represent consumers or create educational tools which empower consumers to derive the greatest benefit from telecommunications products and services.

Read more: Introducing the 2016 ACCAN Grants projects

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Telecommunication services have and are rapidly evolving. ACCAN believes the enhancements to quality of life and economic opportunities from being connected should be available to all consumers.

In looking at the future of communication services in Australia it is time for a new focus on consumer needs. The focus to date has centred too much on developments in the telecommunications market and infrastructure rollout. A consumer focus reveals a number of policy gaps that must be addressed now. These are discussed in ACCAN’s new policy position, The Connected Consumer.

Read more: The future of consumer focused communication services