Key Dates
Next Grant Round:
Applications for funding will open early 2025.
> Information about our Grants Program
Independent Grants Panel:
Results of the recent EOI will be notified Dec 2024.
> Information about our Panel
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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)There is less than one week to go until Telstra and Optus close their 3G networks, and ACCAN is calling on consumers to make final preparations.
Despite significant efforts from major telcos, government, media and consumer representatives, some Australians will still be impacted by the shutdown.
In a recent update, Minister for Communications Michelle Rowland warned that there are still around 60,000 devices in the community that will not be able to contact Triple Zero after 28 October. This number is an improvement on initial estimates but remains too high.
ACCAN recently responded to the Senate Standing Committees on Economics’ inquiry into the Scams Prevention Framework Bill 2024 [Provisions] (The SPF).
Read more: Scams Prevention Framework Bill 2024 [Provisions]
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
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.
ACCAN is calling for a whole-of-government procurement policy for accessible ICT to enable Australians with disability to have greater opportunity for economic, social and community participation.
The Australian Commonwealth Government does not have a comprehensive procurement policy for the purchase of accessible information and communications technology (ICT). The negative roll-on effects of this policy gap have significant implications for the whole Australian community. In particular the ramifications of this ongoing policy gap continue to disadvantage and exclude some of our most vulnerable citizens with disability.
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.
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)
This project focuses on giving a voice to how seniors perceive risk associated with ICT usage and ownership.
Tablet devices - South Australia
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.
Read more: Consumers facing domestic and family violence must see better protections
Write comment (0 Comments)Today’s announcement from Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, Treasurer Jim Chalmers and Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones reflects consistent efforts from consumer advocates to improve shady practices employed by some businesses, and particularly digital platforms.
Unfair practices cost consumers more than just money – it costs them valuable time, reduces consumer confidence in markets and distort consumers’ ability to make free choices. ‘Unfair’ trading practices fall into a category of conduct which can be harmful, subtly manipulative or exploitative, but don’t reach a legal benchmark for unconscionable conduct – which is illegal. This reform will plug the gap between the law and community expectations.
ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett welcomed this move from the Prime Minister and urged the government to consider any reforms which result in better consumer outcomes.
ACCAN recently submitted to the Attorney-General’s Department’s consultation into Automated Decision-Making (ADM) reform. ADM will continue to grow in the future and ACCAN encourages the development of appropriate safeguards for government use.
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.
The first version of Our Broadband Future came out in 2010, but ACCAN is pleased to report that despite new government policy directions and many debates over recent years, the four key principles on broadband espoused in our original statement have stood the test of time:
- Broadband for all.
- No consumer should be worse off during the transition and following the implementation of the National Broadband Network (NBN).
- Robust consumer protections and consumer engagement.
- Sustaining a competitive and fair market.
Download: ACCAN Magazine - Issue 14 Summer 2015.pdf1.37 MB (Note: reading order not accessible)
Download accessible version: Accessible ACCAN Mag - Issue 14 Summer 2015.docx44.97 KB
Results from a survey commissioned by ACCAN show that 12 per cent of respondents had experienced unexpected third party charges on their mobile phone bills in the last six months. Consumers can opt out of these services by texting ‘STOP’ to SMS notifications they receive from third party providers. However, ACCAN’s survey found that over three quarters (77 per cent) of people who replied ‘STOP’ still had the charge added to their bill. Over a third (36 per cent) of unexpected charges were for $10 or more.
Read more: Third Party Charges - consumer experiences and expectations
The summary below outlines ACCAN's activities from 1 September – 30 November 2018.