Google and ACCAN partnered again in 2017 to offer a paid internship opportunity. Applicants were invited to submit a brief proposal outlining a research project on an emerging communications consumer issue.
The winner was law and communications student, Jesse Chen, who wrote an in-depth research report titled: 'Breaking Down Barriers to Digital Government: How can we enable vulnerable consumers to have equal participation in digital government?
The summary below outlines ACCAN's activities from 1 March 2019 – 31 May 2019.
Charles Sturt University
This project and its report outlines regional and rural consumer understandings of smart technologies and their applications in North West New South Wales, Australia. It identifies consumer engagement with digital infrastructure, the changing nature of development and planning in a digital context and the impact of smart services on social relations.
Tablet devices - Victoria
The Australian Government is currently reviewing the future of the Universal Service Obligation (USO) beyond 2024. This blog post aims to answer some of the general questions consumers may have about this important consumer protection.
Read more: Better Delivery of Universal Services: Having Your Say on the USO
Write comment (0 Comments)Consumers will now have a voice at the table to determine how the NBN can better serve the needs of communities around Australia thanks to a $2.56 million funding grant from the Australian Government to the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN).
As the peak communications consumer body, ACCAN’s new funding will allow it to advocate for the interests of consumers under a new framework of economic regulation approved by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) known as the Special Access Undertaking (SAU). The framework will propose NBN expenditure, service standards and pricing for the regulatory period commencing 1 July 2026 through to 30 June 2029.
ACCAN recently submitted to Communications Alliance’s consultation on the Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) Code Review 2024. ACCAN has engaged with the TCP Code review since our first submission to this consultation in June 2023.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
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About the National Relay Service59 KB
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About the National Relay Service422.3 KB
People who are Deaf, hearing-impaired or speech-impaired are unable to access telecommunications without specialised equipment and services. Since 1995, the Australian Government has overseen a National Relay Service (NRS) which enables people with these disabilities to conduct real-time conversations with other people. The funding for the NRS is provided by a levy on eligible telecommunications carriers.
The NRS offers a number of different relay services allowing greater communication options for people who are Deaf, hearing impaired or speech impaired. These include:
Read more: About the National Relay Service
Write comment (0 Comments)With the rollout of the National Broadband Network underway, many consumers want to know what Australia’s future will be like with universal access to high-speed broadband. What sort of services and applications in the home will telecommunications providers be able to offer their customers? What sort of education and health services can be delivered? Do we have sufficiently strong consumer protections to deal with a rapidly changing market and the proliferation of social media and cloud computing? How can we make sure no Australian gets left behind?
Read more: Our Broadband Future – ACCAN National Conference 2011
Download: ACCAN Magazine Issue 15 Autumn 2015.pdf1.47 MB (Note: reading order not acessible)
Download accessible version: 
ACCAN Accessible Magazine - Autumn 2015.docx43.95