Policy positions
For consumers, migrating their services to the National Broadband Network (NBN) can be complicated and any loss of services or functionality can cause significant risk to life and result in extra costs and inconvenience for consumers. This statement sets out key areas that ACCAN believes should be improved for a successful consumer experience.
ACCAN continues to call for the adoption of audio description (AD) across the Australian free-to-air market.
What is audio description?
Audio description refers to a verbal commentary used to describe key visual elements of a television program, film, or live performance or event. Identification of speakers, description of gestures, facial expressions, locale, scene changes, and other visual content are narrated. If dialogue is present as part of the program or event, these narrations are inserted during breaks in the dialogue.
After consulting with consumers and members ACCAN has developed its position to ensure all consumers can be connected consumers.
Connected consumers are able to do what they need through communication services. Without connected consumers there will be social isolation, reduced economic livelihood, insecurity and potential threat to safety. Focusing on connected consumers, allows us to ensure that communication services delivers for consumers, society and the economy.
ACCAN is calling for a whole-of-government procurement policy for accessible ICT to enable Australians with disability to have greater opportunity for economic, social and community participation.
The Australian Commonwealth Government does not have a comprehensive procurement policy for the purchase of accessible information and communications technology (ICT). The negative roll-on effects of this policy gap have significant implications for the whole Australian community. In particular the ramifications of this ongoing policy gap continue to disadvantage and exclude some of our most vulnerable citizens with disability.
Australians with disability need greater access to television. ACCAN is calling for the implementation of Audio Description on free-to-air television and increased captioning across commercial television networks.
Australians with disability continue to struggle to have meaningful access to television.
The ACOSS Poverty in Australia 2014 report indicates that an estimated 2.55 million (13.9%) of Australians are living in poverty. Current Australian research indicates that many low-income consumers are facing financial barriers in getting connected and staying connected to essential telephony and broadband services. Research also indicates that low-income consumers are spending a significantly higher proportion of their income for telecommunications access.
ACCAN's policy position on a customer service and reliability standard
Access to reliable communication services is vital for Australian consumers and is essential for social and economic participation.
The 2015 Regional Telecommunications Independent Review Committee (RTIRC) found that existing safeguards (e.g. Customer Service Guarantee (CSG)) focused on delivery of the Standard Telephone Service (STS) were of "rapidly declining relevance."
This is due to the shifting consumer preference toward mobile and internet based communication. The Committee recommended the Australian Government, in consultation with industry and consumer groups, develop a new safeguard in the form of a Consumer Communications Standard.
This policy position addresses consumer concerns about existing customer service and reliability measures, and proposes a new model for the future. It is a step towards a new Consumer Communications Standard.
The first version of Our Broadband Future came out in 2010, but ACCAN is pleased to report that despite new government policy directions and many debates over recent years, the four key principles on broadband espoused in our original statement have stood the test of time:
- Broadband for all.
- No consumer should be worse off during the transition and following the implementation of the National Broadband Network (NBN).
- Robust consumer protections and consumer engagement.
- Sustaining a competitive and fair market.
ACCAN, along with a number of Australian disability organisations, recommend that all governments, businesses and organisations immediately remove all inaccessible CAPTCHAs from their websites and replace them with accessible alternatives.
ACCAN and CHOICE's joint position statement on mobile commerce outlines the key consumer protection principles for m-commerce in the Australian market.
In response to emerging concerns around issues such as illegal downloading, ACCAN believes consumers’ interests must be represented in relation to copyright policy. As the peak consumer body representing communications consumers, we think it is important that we clarify our position on these issues and explain how we arrived at it.
ACCAN, in alliance with Australia's peak disability organisations, is calling for the federal government to implement a whole-of-government procurement policy for accessible information and communications technology (ICT). Ensuring that all government workplaces and services are accessible for people with disability will provide tangible benefits for the whole Australian community and economy.
Read more: Call for Australian Government policy for procurement of accessible ICT