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This week
IN THE NEWS: 1 in 5 Australians struggling to pay a Telco bill, Circles.Life penalised $253,000 for public safety failures and more
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Households are increasingly feeling the impact of higher costs of living. New research by the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN), conducted in March, has revealed a fifth of consumers reporting that they missed a payment for a phone or internet service because they could not afford it. [ACCAN media release]
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Circles Australia Pty Limited (trading as Circles.Life) has paid a $253,080 infringement notice after the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) found large-scale breaches of rules intended to protect the safety of Australians. An ACMA investigation found that mobile service provider Circles.Life failed to provide customer information to the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) on more than 60,000 occasions between January and August 2022. [ACMA media release]
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The Australian Government is inviting tenders to support ongoing operation and expansion of the highly successful Regional Tech Hub. The Regional Tech Hub currently supports regional, rural and remote consumers of telecommunications services with independent, factual information and troubleshooting advice. The Hub provides expert advice about how to connect and stay connected to communications services. [Minister Rowland media release]
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The Human Rights Law Centre (HRLC) has said that the federal government should register its own mandatory codes for how digital platforms deal with disinformation and misinformation. HRLC senior lawyer Scott Cosgriff told iTnews that the voluntary codes written by industry associations for platforms like Facebook and Twitter should be replaced with one written by legislators or regulators. [itnews]
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Analysis by the Bureau of Communications, Arts and Regional Research (BCARR) released last Friday has revealed the productivity benefits to businesses who switch from the outdated copper wire network (like exchange-based DSL) to high-speed broadband delivered by fibre or cable-based technology. The research found that the National Broadband Network (NBN) has transformed Australia’s fixed-line broadband infrastructure and that more productive firms tend to have high-speed broadband connections. [Minister Rowland media release]
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Drivers are being warned of a new road toll scam that's already cost Australians well in excess of half a million dollars. The consumer watchdog has sounded the alert over the new phishing scam, which sends fake toll messages to drivers, tricking toll users into giving up personal and financial information. [Nine news]
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Applications opened on Monday for Mobile Black Spot and Regional Connectivity proposals, reaffirming the Albanese Government’s commitment to improve communications in regional, rural, remote and First Nations communities. This is a combined grant opportunity, bringing together the Mobile Black Spot Program and the Regional Connectivity Program in two streams, and providing dedicated First Nations funding. [Minister Rowland release]
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Broadband operator NBN Co has successfully raised EUR 1.35 billion (A$2.1 billion) from its debut European Green Bonds issuance in debt capital markets. The EUR (European Union currency) benchmark Green Bonds were priced on 6 March 2023, with EUR 750 million (A$1.2 billion) of 6-year bonds and EUR 600 million (A$947 million) of 10-year bonds. [iTWire]
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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has emphasised data holders' obligations under the consumer data right scheme, after industry groups called for regulatory intervention. Last month FinTech Australia and FDATA ANZ released a joint statement claiming that ING’s intention to change its consumer data right (CDR) consent solution would be in breach of its obligations. [itnews]
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A mother has revealed how she was scammed out of $11,000 when she responded to a desperate plea for help from who she thought was her daughter. Nina Merrilees, who lives on the NSW/ Victorian border said she was busy at work when she received a message via WhatsApp saying: “Hi Mum, my phone is broken, this is my new number”. [Seven news]
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Tel: (02) 9288 4000
Email: media@accan.org.au
Web: accan.org.au
Twitter: @accan_au
Facebook.com/accanau
LinkedIn: accan.org.au/LinkedIn
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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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