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Sky Muster satellites were purpose-built to provide a fast broadband connection to Australian homes and businesses, so it is expected to perform to a higher standard than previous satellite services.

With Sky Muster services you will be able to take advantage of a broader range of services available over the internet, such as listening to radio, data voice calls (called Voice over IP or VoIP), tele-health and streaming movies as well as checking email, browsing the internet, banking online, and accessing government websites.

Note: Care must be taken with activities requiring high levels of data to ensure usage caps are not exceeded.

Are there things I will not be able to do?

Due to the distance of the satellite, services which require instant communication may not be as responsive as an earth based network. This time delay is called latency. Activities such as voice calls and online auctions may be affected.

Will Sky Muster work during all weather conditions?

Sky Muster, like all satellite services, is affected by weather conditions. The weather at your house and at the ground station, such as rain, storms, cloud cover and dust may all affect services. nbn has specially designed the dishes to adapt to different circumstances, such as storms. However, you might experience lower performance levels during some weather conditions and there may be periods where the service does not work.

You should be aware of this if Sky Muster is your only source of communication. Alternative options should be considered in cases of emergencies.

Will speeds and performance on Sky Muster be better than previous services?

It is expected that services will perform better and be more reliable. Sky Muster is offering two speed levels: up to 12/1Mbps and 25/5Mbps. This is faster than current satellite services, which offer up to 6Mbps.

 

Read the full article on accessible programming on TVAustralians with disability need greater access to television. ACCAN is calling for the implementation of Audio Description on free-to-air television and increased captioning across commercial television networks.

Australians with disability continue to struggle to have meaningful access to television.

In 2016 ACCAN commissioned a follow-up to our 2014 Disability Mystery Shopping survey. Disappointingly, the results indicate that little has changed for consumers with disability in the intervening years. Telco sales staff have very little knowledge of products or services suitable for consumers with disability.

Despite industry initiatives to improve the availability of appropriate information after the 2014 survey consumers with disability continue to struggle to find relevant and useful information about mainstream telecommunications products.

The summary below outlines ACCAN's activities from 1 December 2018 – 28 February 2019.

A group of older adults, dressed warmly and standing beside a lake, smiling into a camera for a selfieRoyal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)

This project focuses on giving a voice to how seniors perceive risk associated with ICT usage and ownership. 

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The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is calling on the Federal Government to implement direct regulation, via a service provider determination, to protect consumers facing domestic and family violence.

ACCAN welcomed the Government’s decision earlier this year to enforce protections for financial hardship. Yet just as financial hardship should not be a reason Australians are forced to go without essential communications services, victim-survivors of domestic and family violence (DFV) should not be cut off from crucial means of communication due to the actions of abusers or as a result of poor practice on the part of service providers.

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In a significant win for Australians fed up with the onslaught of fake, deceptive and damaging text message scams, the SMS Sender ID Register will be made mandatory.

ACCAN, Australia’s peak communications consumer group, have been calling for the Federal Government to implement a mandatory register throughout 2024. The Register will help consumers more easily determine whether a text message is a scam or legitimate notification from businesses, service providers and government.

ACCAN recently submitted to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman on their Member Guidance which outlines how members can appropriately signpost internal (IDR) and external dispute resolution (EDR) services to consumers. 

Please join us at a special event being held for our members to celebrate the first two years of Australia’s peak consumer body representing communications consumer. 

The members’ event will begin immediately after our AGM, commencing at 2pm.