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In December 2013, ACCAN made a submission to the federal government regarding the Minister for Communication's call for possible telco regulatory reform. ACCAN has made an additional submission regarding consumer information requirements in the telco sector.
ACCAN has made a submission to the Department of Communications' discussion paper on extending mobile phone coverage and competition in regional Australia. ACCAN has welcomed the government's $100m investment in the program, while cautioning that there is a need for ongoing long-term investment in remote coverage to overcome market failures in this area.
ACCAN believes the Do Not Call Register has been an important tool in protecting consumers from receiving unsolicited telemarketing calls and faxes. However, with approximately 9 million registered numbers and on average approximately 1 million new numbers registered every year, we believe it is time to redesign the Register and align it with the Spam Act 2003.
ACCAN has made a submission to the ACCC's Domestic Mobile Terminating Access Service (MTAS) Declaration Inquiry. ACCAN endorses the ACCC's preliminary finding that mobile voice and SMS termination services should be declared for five years.
This submission to the ACMA is about the type of regulation that should be introduced to ensure all consumers are able to make a fully informed choice on whether or not to take a backup battery when they are switched over to a fibre-based telephone service. This will happen to the vast majority of premises in Australia over the next seven years.
In November 2013, the Minister for Communications called for identification of areas for possible regulatory reform as part of the Federal Government’s policy to streamline the impact of regulation on business, government and the community.
Read more: Deregulation: Initiatives in the Communications Sector
ACCAN has made a submission to the Australian Law Reform Commission inquiry into the protection of privacy in the digital era. The inquiry examined how a proposed introduction of a statutory cause of action for serious invasions of privacy might be designed.
ACCAN has made a submission to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) 'Publishing Comparative Complaints Data' Inquiry. The inquiry asked whether the TIO should contextualise the complaints it receives by the number of 'services in operation' for each telecommunications provider.
ACCAN has made a submission to the Australian Computer Society's discussion paper on a Cloud Computing Consumer Protocol. The discussion paper outlines a proposal for a voluntary protocol that would require providers of cloud services to provide a range of information to consumers about (among other things) data ownership, privacy, data backups, how data can be retrieved from the service, and when the provider will turn user information over to law enforcement agencies.
ACCAN has made a submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Mobile Terminating Access Service (MTAS) Review. The review asked whether access to mobile networks should be 'declared' for the purpose of connecting calls.
ACCAN has made a submission to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) Fixed Services Review (FSR) 2013. The review asked whether access should continue to be 'declared' to Telstra's copper wire services. 'Declaring' a service allows competitors to Telstra, like iiNet, to access the Telstra copper network at the wholesale level and sell those services at retail.
ACCAN has made a submission to the Australian Communications and Media Authority's (ACMA) review of the quality of service standards for telephone services. Quality of service standards ensure that when you make a call, you and the recipient can hear each other clearly enough, without problems like excess line noise, echo, or delay. An existing industry code (C519:2004) sets out levels of quality that standard telephone services have to meet.
ACCAN has welcomed the Australian Law Reform Commission (ALRC) proposal for a Fair Use exception to copyright. We also point out some potential concerns with the ALRC Discussion Paper.
ACCAN is acutely aware of the low labour market participation for Australians living with disability. Our research in the area of inclusive information and communications technologies indicates that accessible ICT can overcome many of the barriers to employment faced by people with disability.
Most Australian consumers must currently pay a monthly fee of $2.93 or more for a “Silent Line” to make sure that their phone number will not be published in the White Pages. The fee effectively charges people for their privacy and is a particular problem for low-income consumers and victims of crime, harassment or violence. While Telstra has recently proposed an exemption to the Silent Line for customers facing security threats, ACCAN's position remains that the fee should be removed for all consumers.
This submission is ACCAN's response to the Attorney-General's Department's draft Inclusive Communication Guidelines for Emergency Managers, designed to improve access to information and communication for people with disability during times of emergency.
ACCAN is pleased that the Attorney-General’s Department, among other organisations, is working on ways to ensure access to communications and information for people with disability during times of emergency. Our submission notes a number of ways that emergency managers can ensure equitable access.
Read more: Inclusive Communication Guidelines for Emergency Managers
NBN Co’s Special Access Undertaking (SAU) is an important document containing promises from NBN Co about how it will allow access to its network and what services it will offer to telecommunications providers.
Government agencies, telcos, banks and finance companies all collect information from customers in order to identify them. This means that an individual’s personal identity information is kept separately on file by each agency. From a consumer perspective, it means that each time we open an account with, for example, a bank or a telco who we haven’t done business with before, we have to undergo an identity check to prove that we are who we say we are.
For nearly a decade, reports on global roaming have shown that roaming rates are excessively high. ACCAN urges the Australian and New Zealand governments to take action to reduce the high prices consumers pay to use their mobile phone while visiting their closest international neighbour.
Read more: Trans-Tasman Roaming: Response to the Draft Report
The ACMA is holding community consultation on whether – in a converged media environment – broadcast codes of practice should be reviewed and if current 'regulatory interventions' are still relevant.
In ACCAN's submission to the latest NBN Joint Parliamentary Committee hearings, we outlined our engagement on various issues relating to the NBN including the importance of quality voice services and service reporting.
ACCAN has commented on the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's (OAIC's) draft guidelines for mobile app developers. We pointed out that consumers need to be told how app providers want to use their personal information, and to have the choice whether or not to allow that use.
ACCAN has made a submission to the Communications Alliance's review of the Calling Number Display Code (ACIF C522:2007).
Calling Number Display (CND) is the system that allows the recipient of a phone call to see the number or name of the person making the call. This can be a useful feature - it means that you can ignore calls if you do not recognise the number, for example. However, many consumers may be uncomfortable about their number being displayed to the person they are calling.
ACCAN has made a submission to the Internet Industry Association's review of its "icode". The icode is a voluntary code of practice for internet service providers (ISPs) to help address spam, malware, botnets, phishing, and other malicious activity on the internet.