This submission about the Digital Hubs Draft Program Guidelines was made to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (DBCDE).

ACCAN argues that the Universal Service Obligation (USO) legislative framework must include obligations to provide the infrastructure that will ensure universal access for all Australians to communications services. We also urge a review of the definition of universal service.

There is an overriding barrier that consumers face when attempting to contact an insurance company to make a claim, access external dispute resolution services or free legal advice – the cost of the phone call.

ACCAN wants all consumers to pay a fair price for their phone calls. This paper demonstrates that consumers are paying too much for calls from fixed lines to mobile phones and could pay a better price for mobile-to-mobile calls. 


ACCAN broadly welcomes the draft recommendations stemming from the Australian Communication & Media Authority’s Reconnecting the Customer (‘RTC’) Draft Report, which follows the lifecycle of a consumer’s relationship with a telecommunications service provider from advertising, to point of sale, through to customer service, credit management and complaints-handling. 

ACCAN, in its submission to the ACMA's Numbering Consultation paper 4, has urged the regulator to adopt an approach to numbering that considers the social impact of any change to numbering systems. This submission focuses on the positive impact a fair charging system for 1800, 1300 and 13 calls from mobiles will have on vulnerable consumers. 

Tough measures are needed to ensure that Telstra treats competitors fairly and to ensure the migration of consumers to the NBN is done fairly.

ACCAN argues that a guiding principle for the Convergence Review should be that the broadest range of devices, services and content should be accessible to people with disabilities.

ACCAN argues that financial penalties should be mandatory if telcos seriously under perform on their Customer Service Guarantee (CSG) obligations.

ACCAN speaks up for people who are denied the option of an ADSL internet service because Telstra provides them with an "interim" wireless phone instead of a regular copper connection.

ACCAN supports in principle the Commission’s finding that the current disability support system in Australia is fractured and in need of transformation.

ACCAN has made a number of recommendations for changes to Communication Alliance's draft Emergency Call Service Requirements Code.

The capacity of communication networks and emergency warning systems to deal with emergencies and natural disasters

Friday, 15 April 2011
The tragedy of the recent Queensland floods has provided insight into the state of Australia's emergency services. The disaster has particularly highlighted the shortcomings of the emergency service and warning systems framework for Australians with disability.

ACCAN believes the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) is constrained by its current governance structure and limited resources to truly reach its potential. The TIO needs to modernise and come into line with other industries, most notably to meet the benchmark set by the Financial Ombudsman Service.

During the course of our Fair Calls For All campaign some of ACCAN's members and supporters have raised concerns that services for domestic violence survivors are offered on 1800, 1300 and 13 numbers, which are prohibitively expensive to access from a mobile phone.

ACCAN has recommended that the ACMA work towards a system that automatically provides location information to Emergency Service Operators when consumers call from a landline, mobile or VoIP phone.

Australia was reviewed for the first time under the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) mechanism before the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva in January 2011. The UPR is a peer review by all 192 United Nations Members States. Over 50 countries made statements about Australia’s human rights record and 145 recommendations were made.

Here, ACCAN outlines practical suggestions of how the Australian Government can implement UPR recommendations. 

An ACCAN submission to the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications.

In this submission ACCAN informs the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Infrastructure and Communications that the NBN has the potential to contribute to Australia in a significant way. In order for the NBN to be most beneficial to Australians, ACCAN believes that there are a number of key enabling policies that need to be in place relating to ubiquity, computer literacy and applications for people with a disability.

Submission by ACCAN to the Senate Committee Inquiry into the National Broadband Network Companies Bill 2010; and Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (National Broadband Network Measures - Access Arrangements) Bill 2011. 

On the whole, ACCAN supports the speedy passage of these Bills. It desirable that NBN Co operate within a strong regulatory framework such as these Bills provide, and that this framework be in place before regular services to consumers start to be delivered over the NBN beyond first and second release sites.

Submission by ACCAN to the Convergence Review Secretariat regarding the Convergence Review Terms of Reference.

ACCAN argues the Convergence Review Committee should look at ways to maximise inclusion for people with disabilities in accessing the broadest range of content, services and technologies. 

The 2011 Convergence Review is an Australian Government initiative. It is in response to trends in technology that are reshaping the media landscape from how it looked in the 1990s, which is when Australia's current media and communications regulatory frameworks were established.

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