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The ACMA is developing new rules to protect consumers migrating to the NBN, as announced late last year. The ACMA has now consulted on all five measures which focus on improving the way the telco industry handles consumer complaints, the provision of information to consumers, and ensuring that consumers have access to a working service.
ACCAN has submitted on the: Complaints Handling Standard, Record Keeping Rules, Consumer Information Standard, Line Testing Determination, and Service Continuity Standard.
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Date: 11-12 September 2019
Venue: Aerial UTS Function Centre, Sydney
ACCAN is constantly striving for improved, consumer-friendly, telecommunications services for all Australians. This year we celebrate a decade of bringing the consumer voice to the telco table.
ACCANect 2019 will provide an opportunity for consumers to reflect on the last 10 years of change in telecommunications and to hear about the challenges and triumphs that consumers have faced. We will also look to the future and hear from our guest speakers about the current trends and increase in demand for telecommunications services towards 2030.
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Conference background
In 2018, technology and digital services are all around us. Consumers use the internet and telecommunications services to stay connected, go shopping, link into education and job opportunities and access government services.
While we increasingly live our lives online, it’s vital that we don’t leave anyone behind.
- What gaps will appear in the connected world?
- Who will and won’t be able to access services due to limitations on connectivity?
- What can we do to ensure that people are not only connected but also have the confidence to use new technologies to their benefit?
We will explore these questions and more at the 2018 ACCANect Conference, themed: ‘Confidence in the Connected World’.
ACCANect will be an opportunity for consumers, providers and government representatives to get up to speed on consumer concerns around the connected world.
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The Federal Parliamentary Joint Standing Committee on the National Broadband Network is inquiring into the rollout of the NBN in rural and regional areas, focusing on the capacity and reliability of NBN satellite, fixed wireless and fixed line networks. ACCAN has submitted to the inquiry, presenting the major concerns of rural, regional and remote consumers and small business.
Some of the main issues and recommendations in our submission are:
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ACCAN is alarmed that complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) have increased by 28.7 percent in the six months to December 2017, compared to the same time the previous year. The peak Australian telecommunications consumer body says the TIO’s latest statistics reinforce the need for urgent industry action to put customers first.
“Continuing high numbers of complaints shine a spotlight on weak consumer protections that have existed in telecommunications for some time. This is upheld by the fact that complaint numbers have increased across the board in mobile, fixed line phones and internet services”, said ACCAN CEO, Ms. Teresa Corbin.
“Arguments about whether complaints are the responsibility of the wholesale provider (NBN) or retail service providers do not help consumers resolve these problems quickly. ACCAN strongly supports the new raft of ACMA rules as they are badly needed - particularly the new complaint handling standard and complaints reporting rules.
Read more: Continuing rise in telco complaints shows need for urgent reforms
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Background
In March 2018 it was revealed that the data firm, Cambridge Analytica, gained unauthorised access to almost 87 million (primarily United States) Facebook users’ data. Also implicated was Cambridge Analytica’s British counterpart, Strategic Communication Laboratories.
Facebook users’ data was harvested through the two data firms through a personality-quiz app created by Cambridge psychology professor, Aleksandr Kogan, named “This Is Your Digital Life”. Facebook confirmed that only 270,000 Facebook users downloaded Kogan’s app, but Facebook has not yet refuted claims that up to 87 million users’ data had been accessed. During this time, when Facebook users downloaded apps connected to their Facebook accounts, they also exposed data from many of their friends to the app developer, hence, the large estimated number of users affected.
Read more: Cambridge Analytica and Facebook: The Aftermath
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The NSW Law Reform Commission will examine laws regarding access to a deceased or incapacitated person’s social media account and other digital assets. The NSW Law Reform Commission outlines that digital assets can include images, videos, emails, online banking accounts, cryptocurrency, domain names, blogs and online gaming accounts.
The move comes after concerns over what happens to digital assets after death or incapacitation in an increasingly connected world.
‘In today’s hyper-connected world, an unprecedented amount of work and socialising occurs online, yet few of us consider what happens to our digital assets once we’re gone or are no longer able to make decisions’, Attorney General, Mark Speakman, said.
Read more: Review of social media and other digital assets after death or incapacitation
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ACCAN CEO, Teresa Corbin, presented at the CommsDay Summit 2018 in Sydney on 9 April. This year's CommsDay Summit brought together telecoms industry leaders and politicians from across the country to discuss topics including the NBN, 5G, fixed and wireless technologies and the market.
The speakers included Minister for Communications and the Arts, Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield, Telstra CEO, Andy Penn, as well as representatives from NBN, Huawei, Vodafone, ACMA and other telecommunications providers.
Teresa's presentation focused on four of ACCAN's key priorities for consumers in 2018:
• NBN & Consumers
• Consumer Protection
• Rural & Regional Issues
• Latest Affordability Stats
Read more: ACCAN presentation at Commsday 2018
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In 2018, technology and digital services are all around us. Consumers use the internet and telecommunications services to stay connected, go shopping, link into education and job opportunities and access government services.
While we increasingly live our lives online, it’s vital that we don’t leave anyone behind. What gaps will appear in the connected world? Who will and won’t be able to access services due to limitations on connectivity? What can we do to ensure that people are not only connected but they also have the confidence to use new technologies to their benefit?
We will explore these questions and more at the 2018 ACCANect Conference which has the theme: ‘Confidence in the Connected World.’
Read more: Confidence in the connected world: ACCANect 2018
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ACCAN CEO, Teresa Corbin, discussed a range of telecommunications consumer issues in a speech today at the CommsDay Sydney Summit. In particular, Ms Corbin outlined issues related to the ACCC inquiry into the Wholesale Service Standard and the consumer perspective on the ACMA new rules currently out for consultation.
Ms Corbin said “Currently, NBN’s wholesale service standard levels are set out in commercial agreements negotiated by NBN co with retail service providers (NBN’s Wholesale Broadband Agreement) but do not always lead to good outcomes for customers when it comes to connection times, fault repairs, appointment keeping and network reliability’.
The NBN environment is quite complex with a wholesaler, retail service provider and sometimes an aggregator as well involved in providing services to consumers. The ACCC inquiry on “whether NBN wholesale service standard levels are appropriate is strongly supported by consumer groups who believe that regulation is necessary to improve customer experiences.
Read more: ACCAN CEO highlights consumer issues at CommsDay Summit
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The summary below outlines ACCAN's activities from 1 December – 28 February 2018.
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The summary below outlines ACCAN's activities from 1 September – 30 November 2017.