The Australian Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) position paper for the telecommunications sector, What consumers want – Consumer expectations for telecommunications safeguards, released today.

The ACMA’s position paper reflects ACCAN’s view that telecommunications safeguards arising from the TCP Code are not delivering for consumers in many essential areas.

‘The ACMA’s position paper is reflective of a growing consensus that existing consumer protection arrangements are not fit-for-purpose.’ said ACCAN CEO Andrew Williams.

Australia’s peak communications consumer advocacy group, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), has today announced 7 projects that it will fund through the 2023 Round of its Independent Grants Program.

The ACCAN Independent Grants Program funds consumer-focused projects to undertake research, represent consumers, and create educational tools which empower consumers to make decisions in their own interests.

The operation of ACCAN’s Independent Grant Program is made possible by funding provided by the Commonwealth of Australia under section 593 of the Telecommunications Act 1997.

ACCAN welcomes the Australian Communications and Media Authority’s (ACMA) report Financial hardship in the telco sector released today. The ACMA's findings align with ACCAN research conducted earlier this year which shows that cost of living pressures are having a significant impact, with some consumers continuing to struggle to pay their telco bills.

“Cost of living issues aren’t going away for the foreseeable future, so it’s particularly concerning that over 40% of the Australian adult population are unaware that they can contact their telco provider for help managing their bills.  This research shows that it is imperative that financial hardship policies are promoted by telcos and made easily accessible on their websites,” said ACCAN CEO, Andrew Williams.

At its March meeting the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network’s (ACCAN) Board of Directors unanimously endorsed the organisation’s support of the Voice to Parliament.

A Voice to Parliament aligns with ACCAN’s vision of communications services that are trusted, inclusive, accessible, and available for all.

With the cost-of-living front of mind for most Australians, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is urging the federal government to develop an easy to use, independent and free comparison tool to help consumers navigate the often-complicated telecommunications market.

Currently, it is difficult for consumers to find information about different products, services, and plans available to them. The establishment of an Independent Plan Comparison Tool (IPCT) will provide consumers with key product and price information for telecommunications services, allowing them to select a service offering that best meets their needs. 

Recent research conducted by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has found that direct debit is a problem for some consumers, particularly for those who are living week to week.

A thriving and competitive communications market is characterised by a variety of free payment options that reflect consumer preferences for payment. However, some payment options may place unfair financial risk on consumers.

Households are increasingly feeling the impact of higher costs of living. New research by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), conducted in March, has revealed a fifth of consumers reporting that they missed a payment for a phone or internet service because they could not afford it.

Among those that were surveyed, of those responsible for paying telco bills in their household, 38% experienced phone and internet payment problems in the last 2 years. Over a quarter (26%) of the 1000 consumers surveyed regarded their phone and internet costs as unaffordable.

The Australian Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is calling for the development of a retail registration scheme for telco providers which will give the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) greater visibility over the industry.

ACCAN wants to see the creation of an up-to-date register of providers, to improve the visibility of market participants. Creation of a register will benefit consumers, regulators and services providing by providing a trusted and central source of information that consumers can use to contact their telco.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes the Federal Government’s announcement of a trial which will give up to 10,000 regional Australians on NBN Sky Muster Plus access to unmetered monthly data allowances and faster speeds in a bid to boost internet quality in the bush.

Beginning in March and running through to May this year, the trial aims to deliver faster download speeds of up to 100 Mbps for regional customers. Faster satellite services without data allowances is very good news for households and small businesses in regional and remote Australia.

ACCAN endorses the position taken by the Consumer Action Law Centre in calling for tougher penalties for Telcos following the ACMA disciplinary action against Telstra for breaching financial hardship rules.

View the Consumer Action Law Centre Media Release

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has bid farewell to Chairperson Deirdre O’Donnell, who stood down as Chair and ACCAN Director at its November Board meeting. Deirdre has held the position since November 2017 and has guided the organisation through a period of substantive change in that time.

“It’s been a real privilege to have been Chair of the ACCAN Board for the last five years, and to have worked alongside a group of talented and committed directors dedicated to governing ACCAN in line with its mission.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is proud to support Scams Awareness Week (7–11 November 2022).

Scams Awareness Week is an annual campaign hosted by the ACCC and the Scams Awareness Network, which raises awareness about common scams and offers tips on how people can protect themselves from scammers. This year Scams Awareness Week is about empowering people to learn how to spot a scam and encouraging them to take the time to check whether a communication or offer is real.

In light of rapid increases to the cost of living, the peak body for communications consumers has welcomed new measures announced in this week’s federal budget to improve the affordability of communications services and boost digital inclusion across the nation. The announcements echo calls made by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) to establish a concessional broadband product for households on low incomes.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has welcomed an overall fall in complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO). However, considerable increases to complaints about poor mobile coverage and mobile service dropouts (up 9.9% and 6.3% respectively) have concerned the peak body for communications consumers.

Complaints data published today in the TIO’s 2021-22 Annual Report shows that there were 79,534 complaints received in the last financial year; a decrease of 33.4% compared to the 2020-21 report. This is the lowest volume of complaints received by the TIO in over three years and the largest percentage reduction in over a decade.

Better Basics is the theme for the 2022 Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) conference which is to be held online on September 14. The aim of this year’s conference is to outline some of the key issues that are of continuing importance to consumers, and to highlight the work being done by consumer advocates, industry, regulators, and politicians to improve the communications sector and get the basics right for consumers.  

At a time when being connected to communications services is so crucial to everyday life, the reliability of services is essential. Conference delegates will hear from industry experts about measures they’re undertaking to ensure that consumers have reliable access to broadband, mobile and landline services, no matter where they live in Australia.

As Australian households increasingly feel the impact of higher costs of living, new research by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) conducted in April has revealed that 90% of Australians think that telcos should provide an affordable internet plan as standard so that everyone can remain connected.


A nationally representative survey of nearly 1,000 Australians conducted by the peak body for communications consumers also found that more than 80% (82%) view a home internet connection as essential. At the same time, more than a quarter (27%) say their phone and internet costs are unaffordable.

Home broadband services have become increasingly expensive and are out of reach for many households facing cost of living pressures. Furthermore, issues with reliability remain a key frustration for many Australians. The experience of the pandemic has taught us that broadband is an essential service which should be available and reliable to all.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is urging the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) to reject the NBN’s latest proposal to vary its Special Access Undertaking (SAU) due to concerns with pricing, along with a lack of service quality framework. The SAU is a key part of NBN’s regulatory framework that governs the prices NBN is allowed to charge for the services it supplies to phone and internet retailers.

The affordability and availability of broadband services in Australia has remained a significant problem for many vulnerable communities and people on low incomes. Despite an increase in remote learning, telehealth services and work from home arrangements in the last two years there are still approximately 900,000 Australian households who do not have an in-home internet connection1.

Launching its latest policy position “The Future of Broadband,” the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is warning that enduring provisions to safeguard the interests of Australians are needed to protect consumers. Since the National Broadband Network was declared ‘built’ by the Federal Government in 2020, Australians have endured lockdowns, natural disasters and more recently, significant increases to the cost of living.

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has welcomed measures to improve connectivity for people living in regional Australia in the 2022-23 Federal Budget, however stressed the need for urgent government action on broadband affordability.

The Coalition Government has announced $811.8 million in funding for the Connecting Regional Australia Initiative to expand mobile coverage and improve connectivity, resilience and affordability in regional, rural and peri-urban Australia.

While the essentiality of communications services has been demonstrated by natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic, the affordability of communications services continues to be an issue, especially for Australians on lower incomes.

The board of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) today announced that Andrew Williams has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer for the organisation.

“Following an executive search process, the board has determined that Acting CEO Andrew Williams is the best person to lead ACCAN forward as CEO,” said ACCAN Chair Deirdre O’Donnell.

Mr Williams took on the role of Acting CEO in October 2021 and has successfully led the ACCAN team over the past five months.

“The board is very pleased to confirm that Andrew is now our permanent CEO,” added Ms O’Donnell.

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