ACCAN recently submitted to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts' Discussion Paper: Carriage Service Provider (CSP) registration or licensing scheme for the telecommunications industry.
ACCAN supports the creation of a registration or licensing scheme (RoLS) for the telecommunications market. A RoLS represents an important component to ensure the telecommunications market works efficiently for all participants. An RoLS would:
- Provide a central source of information that consumers can use to contact their CSPs.
- Provide market participants adequate notice regarding their compliance obligations.
- Reduce the time and resources spent pursuing CSPs for non-compliance.
- Allow for information on key regulatory obligations to be provided to registrants at the time of registration, limiting inadvertent or unintentional non-compliance by CSPs.
- Provide an additional, more direct enforcement tool in the form of de-registration, for the Australian Communications and Media Authority to intervene in the event of egregious or repeated non-compliance.
- Provide the opportunity to introduce conditions requiring providers to implement and comply with policies and procedures to prevent risks and practices that cause consumer harm, including from fraudulent sales and scams.
- Reduce the financial and non-financial costs to consumers, as all CSPs would be required to demonstrate their ability to supply services in compliance with regulatory obligations.
- Provide reputational benefits to CSPs that consistently comply with the terms of the scheme.
In ACCAN’s view, a registration scheme represents an important component to ensure the telecommunications market works efficiently for all participants. However, the benefits and effectiveness of such a scheme would be significantly enhanced if it were established alongside the strengthening of enforcement arrangements, expanding the direct regulation of telecommunications consumer protections and increasing of penalties to deter CSP non-compliance. These complementary reforms are necessary to bring the telecommunications sector up to parity with consumer expectations of the regulation of essential services.
DITRDCA consultation on a registration or licensing scheme for the telecommunications industry
DITRDCA consultation on a registration or licensing scheme for the telecommunications industry