Australia’s peak communications consumer body, ACCAN, welcomes today’s joint announcement from major telcos Telstra and Optus that the shutdown of 3G networks will be delayed until 28 October.

ACCAN yesterday called on the Minister for Communications, Michelle Rowland to delay the shutdown due to health and safety concerns particularly with the ongoing access to triple zero services and medical and safety devices.

Australia’s peak communications consumer body, ACCAN, is calling on the Communications Minister Michelle Rowland to exercise her discretionary powers and delay the 3G shutdown due to unacceptable public safety concerns.

The Senate Rural and Regional Affairs and Transport References Committee last week released an Interim Report into the shutdown of 3G networks. It found that up to 77,000 mobile phone users would be unable to call triple zero emergency services when the nation’s 3G networks were switched off.

ACCAN welcomes today’s joint announcement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Communications Minister Michelle Rowland that 15,000 families are now receiving free internet connections via the School Student Broadband Initiative (SSBI).

Consumers expect their telcos to be following basic rules to protect their critical accounts, and news of Telstra’s failure to follow well established customer ID processes is deeply disappointing, says ACCAN, the peak body for Australian communication consumers.

Customer ID rules exist to protect consumers against misuse of their accounts, loss of services or other fraudulent activity. The ACMA has today found Telstra failed to follow these rules for 168,000 high-risk customer interactions, including over 7000 interactions concerning customers identified as being in vulnerable situations. A penalty of $1,551,000 has been levied as a result.

Consumers would be forgiven for feeling angry and betrayed after an ACMA investigation revealed Telstra made available to the public details of 140,000 telco customers who had requested unlisted numbers (also known as silent numbers), in breach of carrier licence conditions.

Consumers have the right to ask their provider to make their phone number unlisted. Calls from unlisted phones do not show up on the phones of recipients. The number also doesn’t appear in phone directories.

Australia’s peak communications consumer advocacy group, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), has today announced 3 projects that it will fund through the 2024 Round of its Independent Grants Program.

The ACCAN Independent Grants Program funds projects to enable research on telecommunications issues, represent telecommunications consumers, or create educational tools which empower consumers to understand telecommunications products and services and make decisions in their own interests.

Ms Carol Bennett has officially commenced her role as Chief Executive Officer of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) as of Monday 8 July. This follows a prior announcement of her appointment to succeed Andrew Williams, who departed earlier this year.

Ms Bennett is a highly respected executive with extensive experience in senior management and board roles within the health and aged care sector. Importantly, Ms Bennett has an established reputation for effective national advocacy on behalf of consumers. She joins ACCAN from the Alliance for Gambling Reform, where she was CEO since 2021.

The ACCC response to the latest draft of the Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code validates long-held consumer concerns about the suitability of self-regulation to protect telecommunications consumers.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes and supports the comments of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) on the May 20 draft of the TCP Code.

Telco consumers fed up with SMS scams will soon be able to more easily distinguish between legitimate and fraudulent texts, thanks to new proposed legislation.

ACCAN welcomes the introduction of legislation to establish an SMS Sender ID Register by the Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland in Parliament today.

Accessible Telecoms, a service run by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has today launched a new resource to help consumers check their devices will work after the shutdown of 3G networks.

Accessible Telecoms provides consumers with free information, tips and training about accessible products and software. Today, they are launching a 3G shutdown tipsheet to help ensure their audience isn’t left behind. The tipsheet walks consumers through how they can check their connected devices and, if necessary, replace devices that aren’t compatible post-shutdown.

Telecommunications consumers experiencing domestic and family violence must see mandatory protections through direct regulation, say consumer advocates, in the wake of an important speech by the Chair of the ACMA which raised questions about the effectiveness of the current co-regulatory regime.

Consumer advocates including the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), the Consumer Action Law Centre (CALC), the Centre for Women’s Economic Safety (CWES), and the Economic Abuse Reference Group (EARG) represent and assist consumers in vulnerable circumstances, including those facing DFV.

The Board of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) today announced the appointment of Ms Carol Bennett as Chief Executive Officer for the organisation with effect from 8 July 2024.

Carol is a highly respected leader with a remarkable track record of delivering positive change for consumers and communities in all her previous CEO roles. She has outstanding expertise in strategic decision-making, communications, advocacy, stakeholder management, financial performance, collaboration building, government relations and corporate governance.

Better public information on regulator enforcement is required, according to a new report published by the Centre for Media Transition.

The Centre, an interdisciplinary research unit within the University of Technology Sydney, published The Enforcement of Telecommunications Consumer Protections report, detailing the enforcement actions undertaken by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) from January 2010 to June 2023 to ensure compliance with consumer protections.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is glad to announce the launch of the Affordable Devices service, an extensive database of retailers and organisations which help consumers access free or low-cost mobile phones, laptops, tablets and desktops.

Affordable Devices is a result of research commissioned by ACCAN. It lists sources of low-cost devices, filtered by the State or Territory in which they are based, and provides detail as to whether the listed website is screen reader-friendly.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes the establishment of an industry working group by the Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP, to ensure the planned switchover from 3G to 4G happens in a safe way.

The working group will include representatives from Telstra, Optus, Vodafone/TPG and the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association, with the Department of Infrastructure. Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts participating with an observer status.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes the new Telecommunications (Financial Hardship) Industry Standard, developed by the ACMA at the direction of the Minister for Communications, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP.

ACCAN CEO Andrew Williams said that the new financial hardship standard is a critical improvement in consumer protections for telecommunications consumers.

The Board of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) today announces that, for personal reasons, ACCAN’s CEO Andrew Williams, will leave the organisation in February 2024.

Professor Julian Thomas, ACCAN’s Chairperson said, “Andrew has been with ACCAN for nearly five years, firstly as our Director of Operations and as our CEO for the last two years.  During this time he has led the organisation through a period of significant transition and on behalf of the Board I thank him very much for his contributions. 

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has welcomed the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) acceptance of NBN Co’s Special Access Undertaking (SAU) Variation.

The SAU sets out the rules by which NBN Co provides wholesale access to retailers. It will determine the price and quality of voice and broadband services delivered over the NBN until 2040.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has welcomed the findings of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO)’s latest Annual Report showing that complaint numbers have declined notably in the last 12 months.

TIO data published today demonstrates a 16.5% reduction in complaints in 2022-23 compared with the previous year. While this is a welcome trend, mobile service complaints now account for 48% of all complaints lodged with the Ombudsman, and are proportionally at their highest level in over six years.

The Australian Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes the Minister of Communications, Michelle Rowland’s, decision to direct the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to implement a standard for financial hardship.

“ACCAN strongly supports the Minister for Communications directing the ACMA to make a directly enforceable instrument for safeguarding telco consumers experiencing financial hardship,” said ACCAN CEO, Andrew Williams.

“Establishing substantive protections for telco consumers will support as many as 2.4 million Australians who have had difficulty or struggled to pay a telco bill in the last 12 months,” said Mr. Williams.

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