Learning how to use and monitor your download usage effectively is the best protection against high bills. This ACCAN Consumer Meeting will provide information about how to avoid bill shock as well as assistance for case workers advising consumers about how to get redress for any complaints related to download bill shock.

Read more: Consumer Meeting: Bill Shock and Data Downloading

Download: Broadband Continuity Plan74 KB

Download: Broadband Continuity Plan252.67 KB

Your broadband service can be a critical business asset. If your broadband service failed, could your business continue to operate effectively?

To minimise the risk you are advised to:

a) Perform a risk assessment for your business use of broadband

b) Obtain the most resilient broadband service that you can afford – to match the level of risk.

c) Write an action plan of what you would do if you broadband failed (outage)

Read more: Broadband Continuity Plan

Read more: Useful disability contacts

This is a resources page.

Download: Jargon Buster 2020.doc  181.5 KB

Download: Jargon Buster 2020.pdf  310.13 KB

There are a lot of acronyms and technical jargon you can encounter in the communications sector.

To combat the confusion, ACCAN has produced the Jargon Buster to decode these terms. This handy glossary is a great resource when reading and researching communications issues.

Read more: Jargon Buster

The government should adopt ICT equipment and software procurement practices that ensure people with disability can use them.

Read more

What is a video on demand subscription service?

A video on demand subscription service provides consumers with the ability to watch videos online for a regular subscription fee, usually monthly. The term ‘videos’ can include TV shows and movies.

What accessibility features are common to playing videos online?

There are two main features that support the playback of online videos in an accessible way:

• Captions: this is the text version of speech and other sound that can be provided on videos. Captions can be either open (which means the captions are always on) or closed (which allows the consumer to turn the captions on or off).
  
  
• Audio description: this is when spoken narration is used to describe visual content. Narration is usually included between bits of dialogue and can be used to describe visual elements such as scenes, settings, actions and costumes.
  
  

In addition, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has produced the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 to make sure that creators of web and app content can include accessibility features such as captions, audio description and an accessible interface for assistive technology users. A simplified version of this standard is also available.

How do different subscription services compare?

According to research conducted by Curtin University in Perth, the following table highlights the five most popular subscription services in Australia and their accessibility as of mid-2016. More detail on these services are highlighted in other Tip Sheets.

The video I want to play is not accessible. What are my consumer rights?

Currently there is no specific law in Australia that applies to the accessibility of subscription video on demand services. There are, however, some important facts to be aware of which may help support your viewing choices and can potentially provide an opportunity to raise concerns about this issue.

• Policies and legislation in the United States require high levels of accessibility in video on demand services. As such, USA-based services such as Netflix feature more accessibility and are likely to continue increasing their accessible content.
  
  
• Broadcast (‘free-to-air’) television in Australia is required to provide captioning under specific circumstances. As such, several cases have been lodged with the Australian Human Rights Commission arguing that online video should also be made accessible. This may result in improvements in the future for Australian-based services.
  
  
• While there is no specific Australian law that relates to the inclusion of accessibility in content delivered online, Section 24 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 does require that information should be provided to people with disabilities, and this is what has formed the basis for legal challenges.
  
  
• Some video on demand subscription providers such as Presto and Foxtel Play have community boards which can provide a mechanism to complain directly to the provider if there is a lack of access.
  
  
• Audio described content has been trialled in Australia on the ABC broadcast service and ABC iview free streaming service, suggesting that there is some progress being made in increasing the awareness of online audio described content in Australia.
  
  

The operation of the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network is made possible by funding provided by the Commonwealth of Australia under section 593 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. This funding is recovered from charges on telecommunications carriers.

Fixed wireless broadband provides internet using an antenna dish installed on your house.

Here are some that we are aware of:

• Acenet AirStream (NSW Southern Highlands)
• Aussie Broadband (Gippsland, Western Victoria, South Australia)
• Beam Internet (Barossa Valley and Regional SA)
• BITS wireless
• Bitwave Networks (NSW – Parks)
• Clear broadband (Perth, Tasmania, Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide)
• Clearstream Broadband (QLD – Brisbane, Ipswich, Lockyer Valleys)
• Countrytell (NSW- Hunter, Mid North Coast)
• Dreamtilt (QLD)
• DCSI (West Gippsland)
• Gtelecom (Greater Melbourne area)
• iiNet WiMax (South Australia)
• Just IP (regional NSW and Queensland)
• Lightning Broadband 
• Next Gen Wireless (Queensland and Northern Territory)
• Node1 (Geraldton, Walkaway, Dongara and Perth)
• NuSkope (South Australia)
• Red Broadband (Western Australia)
• Red fox (QLD)
• Shoalhaven Internet (NSW - Shoalhaven)
• Speedweb (VIC - Morewell, Traralgon, La Trobe Valley)
• Splash Internet (NSW Eden area)
• Tasmanet (Tasmania)
• The Signal Co (Canberra)
• Wires Broadband (Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast and Northern New South Wales)
• Wi Sky (regional NSW and Queensland)
• Uniti Wireless (Adelaide)
• YLess4U (ACT)
• Yourhub (Townsville, suburbs and surrounding areas)

The first thing that you should do if you are struggling to pay a bill is contact your service provider so you can discuss your options. Your provider can set up a payment plan for you, and while this is in place they will not report your debt to a Credit Reporting Agency.

Below are the contact details for some of the main service providers.

Telstra

• Call 1800 531 951  
• Online hardship information  
• Telstra - 'Support in times of need' webpage
• Download: Telstra Financial Hardship Policy [opens on Telstra website]

Optus

• Call 1300 308 839
• Download: Optus Hardship information flyer56.48 KB

Vodafone

• Call 1800 185 289
• Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. 
• Further online information
• Download: Vodafone Hardship Policy [downloads from the Vodafone website]

TPG Telecom

• Call 1300 056 356
• Online contact form
• Further online information

Dodo

• Call 1300 907 283
• Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Further online information

iiNet

• Call 13 22 58
• Online contact form
• Further online information

Internode:

• Call 1300 889 188
• Online contact form
• Further online information

Amaysim

• Call 1300 808 300 (567 free from your Amaysim mobile)
• Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Download: Amaysim Hardship Policy [opens on Amaysim website]
• Further online information

Belong

• Call 1300 235 664
• Further online information

Southern Phone

• Call 1800 356 227
• Further online information

Boost Mobile

• Call 125 8881
• Further information online

iPrimus

• Call 1300 312 337
• Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Further online information

Lebara

• Call 1300 126 122 (126 122 from a Lebara mobile) 
• Further information online

In a project funded by ACCAN, researchers at The University of Sydney analysed 61 top-rated mental health apps available to Australian consumers.

Mental health apps commonly collected consumer data, requested that consumers make in-app purchases, and made health claims. Although this is normal in the app world, we thought, “How would this stand up in the real world?”

Read more: Navigating mental health apps

Download: ACCAN Magazine - Issue 31 Autumn 2019936.62 KB  (Note: reading order not accessible)

Download accessible version: ACCAN Magazine Issue 31 Autumn 2019 - accessible version35.54 KB

If you are unhappy with the service you are receiving from your telco, you can make a complaint.

Telcos have to follow rules about when small businesses can be disconnected, help they must provide if you can’t pay a bill, and more. If your small business spends less than $40,000 per year with one telco for your internet, landline and mobile phone services, you’re protected by these rules.

Read more: Making a Complaint - Small Business

This tip sheet is available in:

Arabic - Small Business Making a Complaint 247.73 KB

Simplified Chinese - Small Business Making a Complaint249.15 KB

Spanish - Small Business Making a Complaint208.46 KB

Tagalog - Small Business Making a Complaint201.5 KB

Vietnamese - Small Business Making a Complaint216.65 KB

Read more: Small Business Making a Complaint - Information in other languages

Read more: Warlpiri

ACCAN is deeply concerned about the inadequacy of existing government programs supporting improved communications infrastructure in remote Indigenous communities (RICs). These communities are among the most disadvantaged and digitally disengaged in the country.

The pre-existing digital divide has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 lockdown. While there has been an accelerated take up of digital services such as videoconferencing, remote server access, and telehealth for those with access and skills, communities that are disconnected are at a much greater disadvantage at this time. Very few remote Indigenous people have the option of home schooling, working from home, or accessing basic services online. Most RICs have restricted all non-essential movement due to the high risks associated with COVID infection, increasing the need for remote access to services, including health, education, Centrelink, MyGov, justice, banking and so on. However, with an estimated 30% of remote and very remote Indigenous people without household access to telephony or internet, and many Shire/Council offices, schools and other service centres closed, some essential services have not been available to many remote Indigenous people.

Read more: Remote Indigenous Communications Review: Telecommunications Programs and Current Needs for Remote...

ACCAN’s purpose is to work for “communications services that are trusted, inclusive and available for all.” Our Strategic Plan can be viewed at accan.org.au.

In 2021 ACCAN efforts will be focused on the following priority areas, informed by the impact of COVID-19 lockdowns on consumers’ use of communications services. At the same time, we will be responsive to emerging issues, and engage with government and industry consultations in areas of significance for telecommunications consumers
.
Our policy priorities are developed in close consultation with ACCAN members, and are informed by our knowledge and analysis of the communications market.

Read more: Policy priorities 2020-21

Gerard Goggin was an inaugural ACCAN Board member appointed in 2008. Since then Gerard has been a member of the ACCAN Independent Grants Panel which assesses applications for the ACCAN grants program.  Gerard has continue to provide leadership on many communications consumer issues including universal service, accessibility issues and mobile telephony. Gerard is currently Wee Kim Wee Professor of Communication Studies at Nanyang Technology University in Singapore.

Read more: Sue Salthouse Memorial Lecture 2021

Now that the NBN has been declared built and fully operational, ACCAN has examined what needs to be changed in the telecommunications sector in order to protect consumer interests and maximise the benefits of broadband in the future. Underpinning this analysis is the shift in the way consumers use and rely on broadband services. Telecommunications is now widely regarded as an essential service, and so consumer protections and safeguards must be brought in line with this way of thinking.

Read more: The Future of Broadband

The summary below outlines ACCAN’s activities from 1 June 2022 – 31 August 2022.

Read more: Quarter 1, FY22-23

Desktop computers - New South Wales

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network’s (ACCAN) Board of Directors has unanimously endorsed the organisation’s support of the Voice to Parliament. A Voice to Parliament aligns with ACCAN’s organisational vision of Communications services that are trusted, inclusive, accessible, and available for all. A Voice to Parliament also aligns strongly with ACCAN’s Reconciliation Action Plan vision of a united Australia that acknowledges its past and values the unique culture and heritage of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Board and staff of ACCAN support a successful Referendum that will enshrine a First Peoples Voice to Parliament in our Constitution. A Voice that can provide independent advice to Parliament and Government enables true self-determination by ensuring the diverse First Nations perspectives and aspirations are authentically embedded in decisions affecting their lives. A Voice will also provide new opportunities for community consultation to improve communications, particularly in regional and remote Australia.

Read more: First Peoples Voice to Parliament

Western Sydney University

Indigenous people in Western Sydney are experiencing digital divide. This interdisciplinary project will co-design with an Indigenous scholar and will be overseen by an Indigenous Research Governance Committee. By building on established relationships with Indigenous residents in Western Sydney, the project will provide needed data on Indigenous digital exclusion in Western Sydney and will provide Indigenous co-designed recommendations for closing the digital gap.

Read more: In progress! First Nations Digital Inclusion in Western Sydney

Read more: Luke Coleman