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Woman with bill ACCAN welcomes the ACCC’s announcement today that Telstra has refunded $9.3 million to 72,000 customers who were misled about third-party billing charges under its “Premium Direct Billing’ (PDB) service. However, the consumer advocacy group argues that further consumer safeguards are needed to prevent bill shock and consumer harm from occurring in the first instance.

“We are pleased to hear that 72,000 Telstra mobile customers will be refunded for content such as games and ringtones that they unknowingly purchased. We have seen that unexpected charges continue to be an issue for Australian mobile consumers and contribute to mobile bill shock,” said Teresa Corbin, ACCAN CEO.

ACCAN recently commented on the Consolidated Industry Codes of Practice for the Online Industry (Class 1A and Class 1B Material). In general, we welcome measures that contribute to a safe online environment, empower consumers, and provide transparency and accountability. However, ACCAN expressed our concern over the constricted time frame for public consultation. The Industry Codes of Practice represent a significant undertaking in internet regulation and for them to be effective in their aims and to minimise consumer harm, consumer consultation cannot be an afterthought.

Kangaroo sign next a road in the outback Getting remote communities connected can be difficult due to the tyranny of distance. Recently we’ve heard some great stories about retail service providers, infrastructure providers and other organisations that are helping to connect Indigenous consumers in some of the most remote parts of Australia. In this article we’ll look at some of the ways this is being achieved.

Satellite broadband provider, Activ8me, is working with the Australian Government to improve access to telecommunications services in remote Indigenous communities.

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Midas Touch Image Smartphone technology now essentially allows us to carry a computer in our pocket, but what happens to all of the data that is collected while we go about our normal daily lives? A new report by Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) examines the implications of the advancements in smartphone biometric data capturing capabilities for Australian consumers.

The use of biometrics in smartphones such as finger print scans and facial recognition have been promoted as a simpler and more secure alternative to traditional security options such as PINs or passwords. While these more modern alternatives offer greater convenience, ACCAN’s new report ‘Midas Touch: Consumer Implications of the Use of Smartphone Biometric Data Capturing Capabilities’ argues consumers must be aware that they are not entirely secure.

The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development, Communications and the Arts has consulted on the draft exposure of the Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Statutory Infrastructure Providers and Other Measures) Bill 2022. The Bill strengthens the Statutory Infrastructure Provider (SIP) regime, which aims to ensure all Australians have access to modern broadband services.

ACCAN supports the key changes proposed in the bill:

ACCAN Conference logo Have you registered for the ACCANect Conference yet? There’s only two weeks left to get your ticket.

It’s being held at the Aerial UTS Function Centre in Sydney on Wednesday 20 September – Thursday 21 September, 2017.

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Teresa Corbin, ACCAN CEO, and Mitch Fifield, Minister for Communications and the Arts The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) welcomes the reappointment of Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield to the position of Minister for Communications and the Arts in Prime Minister Morrison’s newly formed Cabinet.

“As the peak body responsible for representing all Australian telecommunications consumers, ACCAN looks forward to continuing to engage with Minister Fifield and his office to ensure better outcomes for consumers and small businesses,” said Teresa Corbin, ACCAN CEO.

ACCAN recently submitted feedback to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) regarding an issues paper for its March 2023 Report on Social Media Services. The issues paper will inform the ACCC’s sixth interim report for the Digital Platform Services Inquiry. ACCAN’s submission urged the need for regulatory reform to ensure that Australian consumers continue to enjoy the benefits from social media platforms while reducing their harms.

ACCAN’s submission outlined our support for:

In June we were very excited to sign a new funding contract with the Department of Communications and the Arts. The new contract ensures that ACCAN will continue to represent consumers in the telecommunications industry for the next five years.

When the contract was signed, ACCAN CEO, Teresa Corbin said: “The recent ACCAN review highlighted the strong support for the work ACCAN does and many stakeholders reinforced the need for a united consumer voice in the telecommunications industry.

“A big thank you must go to ACCAN’s supporters including members, volunteers and industry representatives for their ongoing commitment to ensuring we remain a relevant and effective organisation.”

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Peak communications consumer group, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), has released a report, called Can You Hear Me?, on the customer service provided by 10 telco providers.

Major findings are that consumers are unimpressed by the amount of time they spend getting a resolution to a telco issue. It takes an average of 13 days, but for those with harder to resolve issues averages blow out to 2 months. The results confirm customer experiences of having to contact providers multiple times about an issue, repeatedly explaining the problem, and disappointing levels of first contact resolution. It also shows that escalating an issue to a formal complaint can be difficult.

ACCAN has responded to NBN’s discussion paper on SAU Variation: Proposed changes. The Special Access Undertaking (SAU) determines how much NBN can charge for wholesale phone and internet services and provides the framework for non-price issues.

Focus group In the past five years, a total of $1,256,055.86 has been awarded to universities, research organisations, community groups and not for profit organisations to help consumers navigate the telecommunications and technology landscape.

The ACCAN Grants Scheme has funded 31 different projects since 2012, examining emerging technologies like 3D printing, through to more serious consumer issues, such as technology facilitated stalking and abuse.

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ACCAN welcomes the release today of the public comment draft Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code, but says it doesn’t go far enough in providing adequate consumer protections for today’s telecommunications landscape.

The Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code has been released for public comment by peak industry body Communications Alliance. Submissions are due by August 10.

The Code sets out requirements for Retail Service Providers (RSPs) relating to sales, customer service, contracts, billing, credit and debt management, financial hardship, transfers between providers and the compliance framework. It is a key component in the consumer protection framework for the telecommunications industry.

ACCAN recently submitted to the Office for the Arts’ consultation regarding a new National Cultural Policy. The consultation seeks to establish a new roadmap for Australia’s arts, entertainment and cultural sector. As audio-visual content has become increasingly distributed using digital platforms via broadband internet and mobile telecommunications services, we have represented consumer interests on a case-by-case basis.

ACCAN wrote to support the submission made by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Automated Decision-Making and Society (ADM+S). ACCAN agrees with the ADM+S that digital technology is an important enabler for Australia’s arts and culture. We support digital inclusion measures that allow all Australians to participate in the nation’s cultural life.

Connected devices Have you noticed how more and more everyday items are now connected to the internet?

While we used to have ordinary watches that told us the time and the date, we now have smartwatches that track our fitness, alert us about emails and more.

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The consumer movement has expressed strong concerns at Government proposals to reduce the remit of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.

‘One of the vital elements in the consumer protection regime is the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman scheme. It is fundamentally important to have a robust, well-resourced, independent way for consumers to resolve complaints, to help them sort out the many problems they experience with telecommunications providers’ said ACCAN CEO Teresa Corbin.

‘The TIO has been delivering well for consumers, so it would be a backward step if the Government’s review resulted in changes that diminished its role and made complaints more difficult to resolve from a consumer perspective’.

The ACCC is currently running an inquiry into the infrastructure used in the supply of mobile telecommunications and other radiocommunications services in regional areas. The inquiry is also exploring the feasibility of providing mobile roaming during natural disasters or other emergencies.

With the Federal Election campaign now over, ACCAN congratulates Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield and Senator the Hon Fiona Nash who continue in their roles as Minister for Communications and Minister for Regional Communications respectively for the Turnbull Government. The Federal Member for Greenway, the Hon Michelle Rowland MP and the Federal Member for Throsby – Stephen Jones take up the roles of Shadow Minister for Communications and Shadow Minister for Regional Communications respectively.

We are pleased that during their campaigns both the Coalition and Labor made announcements of an additional $60 million in funding for a third round of the Mobile Black Spots Programme. This is vital as mobile coverage and competition in rural areas continues to be is a key issue for many consumers.

In the lead up to the election, ACCAN called for the parties to focus on five communications consumer priorities and we asked them a series of questions based on these priorities. We covered announcements from the Coalition, Labor and the Australian Greens on NBN policy, digital literacy and accessibility. While we didn’t receive specific answers to our questions, some of these were answered by the announcements from the parties during the campaign.

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ACCAN welcomes the ACMA’s release of the Service Continuity and Consumer Information Standards.

‘These are important safeguards that will help make the move to NBN-based services easier for consumers, and ACCAN has been calling for such measures for some time’ said Teresa Corbin, ACCAN CEO. ‘Many consumers have contacted us about a range of frustrating experiences as they try to navigate their way between their retail telco and NBN. We welcome these measures, which we believe will go some way to reducing these problems’

ACCAN has responded to an ACCC consultation on NBN’s proposed variation to its Special Access Undertaking (SAU), where the ACCC must decide whether to accept or reject the proposed variation. The SAU sets out the rules by which NBN provides wholesale access to retailers. The details in the SAU can determine the price and quality of voice and broadband services delivered over the NBN until 2040. The consultation comes after more than a year of stakeholder discussions and workshops hosted by the ACCC which ACCAN has engaged with.

The Rural Regional and Remote Communications Coalition (RRRCC) has welcomed today’s announcement by the Regional Communications Minister, Senator Bridget McKenzie that there will be a fourth round of the Mobile Blackspots Program.

“Despite initial disappointment that further funding was not available in this year’s Federal Budget, we are delighted that the Government has made this important announcement today," National Farmers' Federation (NFF) President Fiona Simson said.

ACCAN recently submitted our views on the 2022 review of the Australian Code of Practice on Disinformation and Misinformation (the Code). The Code is administered by Digital Industries Group Inc. (DIGI). The Code was launched in February 2021 and currently has eight signatories: Apple, Adobe, Google, Meta, Microsoft, Redbubble, TikTok and Twitter. The signatories commit to a range of obligations to reduce harms from misinformation and disinformation on their services. The Code also prescribes an independent complaints sub-committee that can help the public resolve disputes with signatories that fail to meet their obligations to combat mis- and disinformation.

Group of people sitting on lounge using smartphones and laptops In the lead up to the 2016 Federal Election, the Coalition, Labor Party and Australian Greens have made announcements regarding various communications policies. We’ve summarised these below, for your information.

As we previously reported, both Labor and the Coalition have committed $60 million funding for another round of the Mobile Black Spot Programme.

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