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This week
IN THE NEWS: Less than 1 week to go until ACCANect 2022, ACCAN notice of Annual General Meeting, and more.
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We’re less than one week out from ACCANect 2022 – Better Basics. Yet to register for the event? Registrations are still open at accan.org.au/accanect. A video-on-demand will also be available for all attendees after the conference. We’ll chat to industry, government and consumer advocates about the basics for communications consumers in 2022, and what needs to happen to ensure that services are trusted, inclusive, accessible and available for all. [ACCAN]
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ACCAN’s Annual General Meeting will take place virtually on Thursday the 22nd of September from 4:00pm. We will have live captioning and Auslan interpreters available throughout this meeting. To confirm accessibility requirements for the ACCAN AGM, we request all attendees RSVP their attendance and any support needs by Tuesday 20th September 2022 to nominations@accan.org.au. [ACCAN]
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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. ACCAN is supportive of NBN’s decision to withdraw the March Variation and submit a new SAU variation. However, ACCAN expressed concern with proposals including the price level for slower speed tiers (those of 50 Mbps and slower), service standards and benchmarks including issues regarding planned outages and dropouts and how best to address affordability concerns for low income households. [ACCAN]
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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]
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Internet provider Aussie Broadband has been ordered to pay $213,120 after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found the company failed to provide customer information to the integrated public number database more than 30,000 times between November 2021 and May 2022. ACMA states Aussie Broadband's failures are a "massive breach of the rules aimed at protecting the safety of Australians." [iTWire]
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The commercial television industry is reigniting its push for legislation that ensures sport will remain free to the public after a report found one in five Australians don’t have the internet quality required to stream programs and sports matches. A report from Deloitte Access Economics, commissioned by lobby group Free TV, found almost 60 per cent of the public are concerned about the cost of subscriptions while more than 50 per cent of Australians aren’t willing to pay for sport at all. [SMH
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The Commonwealth Ombudsman recorded a 38 percent year-on-year increase in serious compliance and unfinished remediation issues among agencies accessing telecommunications metadata or the content of messages under Australia’s surveillance laws. In a report tabled in parliament late on Wednesday, covering uses of the powers in 2019-20, the ombudsman said it had made “29 recommendations in relation to six agencies”, compared to 21 for three agencies the year before. [iTNews]
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Netflix will reportedly launch a cheaper ad-supported tier for its streaming platform at the start of November as the company tries to stem the loss of more than 1 million subscribers in 2022. The company was initially planning to start offering the service in 2023, but Variety reported last week it had been bumped to 1 November in order to get ahead of Disney+’s planned launch of an ad-supported tier in December. [The Guardian]
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Speaking from the floor at the Jobs and Skills Summit panel on ‘maximising the potential of our industries’, National Farmers’ Federation president Fiona Simson said that “skills development in rural and regional Australia is critical” to ensure the agricultural industry can take advantage of new technology. [InnovationAus]
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Many seniors perceive risks that deter their use of technology that could enrich their lives, write the Shaping Connections team. Social exclusion is a significant threat to the wellbeing of older adults. As the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the need to close the digital divide, digital engagement has become even more crucial in fostering social inclusion. Alongside this, digital technologies are an increasingly important area of focus for aged care providers as part of their service offerings. [Australian Ageing Agenda]
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Tel: (02) 9288 4000
Email: media@accan.org.au
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Although we take care to direct subscribers to sites with accurate and reliable content, we advise that ACCAN is not responsible for the content within external sites and has no control over the views, services or information contained therein. Information contained on external sites may not necessarily reflect ACCAN's policy, standards or beliefs.
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network's representation of residential and other consumers' interests in relation to telecommunications issues 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.
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