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ACCAN is committed to advancing the interests of consumers through enhancements to consumer protection arrangements. Sound consumer protections are necessary to allow consumers to engage confidently in the communications market.
ACCAN’s work and commitment to ongoing engagement with stakeholders will drive strengthened consumer protections through the direct regulation of consumer protections. Some current issues in this policy priority include the adequacy of consumer protection arrangements for financial hardship, credit assessment and domestic and family violence.
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Through this priority, ACCAN will advance the interests of consumers by supporting policy settings that provide for reliable, resilient and robust infrastructure. ACCAN will continue to engage with key infrastructure policy matters, including the economic regulation and pricing of NBN and legacy communications services and infrastructure investment programs.
Key issues in this policy priority include improving the coverage, capacity and reliability of regional, rural and remote infrastructure to support consumers, small business and communities to grow and thrive.
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ACCAN responded to the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications’ consultation on the circumstances in which Statutory Infrastructure Providers are exempt from the obligation to connect and supply premises with wholesale communications services, via telecommunication retail providers. The Department has been consulting on the draft Telecommunications (Statutory Infrastructure Provider – Circumstances for Exceptions to Connection and Supply Obligations) Determination 2020 that would give effect to these arrangements.
It is important that premises are only refused connection and supply of telecommunications services in limited and reasonable circumstances. ACCAN considers that generally the draft determination proposed by the Department ensures this is achieved.
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ACCAN has responded to the Digital Transformation Agency’s consultation paper on proposed laws for the Australian Government’s Govpass digital identity platform.
ACCAN’s recommendations included:
- All privacy and consumer protection safeguards in the Digital Identity Framework must be enshrined in law to ensure compliance;
- The definition of Digital Identity should be harmonised with the revised Privacy Act to create a robust network of privacy protections for consumers; and
- A charging framework should not be introduced as it will discourage some non-government organisations from using the Digital Identity system.
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In December 2020, ACCAN submitted to the Australian Attorney General’s Department Issues Paper consultation on the review of the Privacy Act 1988. Our submission aimed to ensure privacy settings empower consumers and protect their data, and we worked closely with privacy advocates in developing our response. The review is part of the Australian Government's response to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Digital Platforms Inquiry.
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In late 2020 the Department of Social Services consulted on the Outcomes Frameworks for the National Disability Strategy (the Strategy) and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS). The Outcomes Frameworks are intended to track progress over time to consider whether the Strategy and NDIS are improving the lives of people with disability in Australia.
In ACCAN’s submission, we explained that accessible and affordable digital communications technologies are essential to facilitate a more inclusive and accessible society for people with disability in Australia. We argued that outcomes and measures relating to digital communications technologies must therefore be included in the Outcomes Frameworks for both the Strategy and the NDIS.
Read more: National Disability Strategy and NDIS Outcomes Frameworks
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Consumers often experience long wait times and poor customer service when trying to resolve issues with their telcos, but how much time does this take, and at what cost?
To find out, ACCAN commissioned a survey to ask 2994 consumers about their experiences when they contact their telco. Based on the results, we have worked out the cost to consumers in time lost resolving their telco issue, instead of doing something else.
Read more: Still Waiting … the cost of customer service
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The No Australian Left Offline - National Webinar was held 9 December and provided a report back on the key issues from the 6 State and Territory based virtual roundtables that have taken place during 2020.
These roundtables have provided a unique opportunity for those involved to share and discuss some of the barriers that are impacting communities when it comes to getting connected and using the internet.
ACCAN and nbn Co. plan to continue this collaborative approach into 2021, working towards more affordable, reliable broadband services for all Australians.
Read more: No Australian Left Offline - National Webinar
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The ACMA have proposed new rules to improve telecommunications service standards.
ACCAN supports the draft rules because they ensure telcos pass on to affected customers certain rebates received from wholesalers, such as NBN, when issues of delayed connections and fault repairs, and missed appointments occur. In our submission, we urged that the customer should receive the full amount of rebate, whether that be a direct financial payment or through a measure put in place by their telcos to fix the issue, such as 4G back-up modems.
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ACCAN recently made a submission to the Digital Industry Groups (DIGI) consultation on their voluntary industry Code on disinformation. The Code has been developed in response to ‘Regulating in the Digital Age: Government Response and Implementation Roadmap for the Digital Platforms Inquiry’. The Code outlines what the digital platforms will do to address concerns regarding disinformation and credibility signaling for news content in the Australian context.
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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.
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New analysis commissioned by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) shows that urgent action is needed to address the digital divide in remote Indigenous communities in the wake of COVID-19 lockdowns.
While much of the nation turned to digital services such as videoconferencing and telehealth during the rolling lockdowns put into place during the COVID-19 pandemic, very few remote Indigenous communities were able to work or learn from home, or access government and health services online. With access by service providers limited by travel restrictions, many people were left without access to essential services. In some remote communities, the Wi-Fi hotspot, the only point of access, was switched off to avoid people congregating.
“COVID-19 saw communities without food and necessities of life because of the lack of access to adequate, reliable, and robust telecommunications,” said ACCAN Board Member and proud Torres Strait Islander, Dr Heron Loban.
Read more: New research highlights urgent need to close digital divide for Indigenous communities