17 April 2025

Dear ,
 

In the news this week: Push for telco cost-of-living policies in lead up to election, how ACMA’s priorities for 2025-26 can benefit consumers and ACCAN welcomes experienced advocates to Board

‍CEO Message:

As the federal election campaign picks up pace, we’re making sure that communications issues stay front and centre. This week, affordability has been our focus.

Too many people are forced to choose between paying their telco bills and covering the basics like rent, groceries, or medicine.

According to initial research findings we released recently, 24% (1 in 4) customers say they felt pressured into signing up for a more expensive plan than they wanted.

This followed research we released in 2023 which showed that 21% of consumers went without other essentials such as food or medicine to pay a phone and internet bill.

We have an affordability problem for telco services which is contributing to the cost-of-living pressures felt across the economy.

We believe every Australian should have access to essential affordable, reliable phone and internet services—no matter where they live or what they earn. That’s why we’re calling for a concessional broadband product, so people doing it tough can stay connected without falling behind.

We also need an independent website where people can easily compare mobile and internet plans and find a fair deal. We’re also backing a national public Wi-Fi program to help more Australians access education, job opportunities, and essential services online. To stay across the latest updates from our platform, follow us on social media.

We were also pleased to welcome Jess Wilson and David Spriggs to the ACCAN Board this month. Ms Wilson is CEO of Good Things Australia, and a leading advocate for closing the digital divide. Mr Spriggs is the CEO of Infoxchange, a not-for-profit social enterprise with the vision of ‘technology for social justice’. Both leaders bring deep experience in digital inclusion and community advocacy to ACCAN’s Board, and I look forward to working with them alongside our outstanding board, capably chaired by Vince Humphries.

Last week, we joined members and stakeholders from across regional Australia at a Telstra regional workshop in Melbourne. Together, we raised critical issues about mobile coverage, the 3G shutdown, and the need for stronger support in the bush. It was a powerful reminder that regional, rural and remote Australians deserve the same quality, access, and fair treatment as anyone else.

But blackspots and coverage issues are not unique to regional areas. This week I was interviewed by ABC Brisbane about chronic phone coverage problems experienced by customers in suburban areas. I talked about the ongoing National Audit of Mobile coverage: what it is doing, how it is being conducted, and what it is showing so far for Brisbane residents. My interview is available on the ABC Listen website, from 09:30 minutes in.

Wishing our supporters a rejuvenating Easter break.

‍Carol Bennett

Chief Executive Officer

ACCAN pushes for policies to ease affordability in pre-election campaign

As ACCAN’s pre-election campaign continues into its third week, we’re highlighting a growing problem: staying connected is getting too expensive. 

One in four people told us they felt pushed into pricier phone or internet plans than they wanted. And in 2023, we found that one in five people went without food or medicine just to keep their services running. 

To fix this, we’re calling for: 

• A low-cost broadband option for people doing it tough 
• A genuinely independent website to compare telco plans 
• Public Wi-Fi access to help people get online when it matters most 
  

Connectivity is essential—no one should be priced out of it. Be sure to stay in the loop via our social media channels.  

ACCAN will shortly release its report on consumer attitudes to cost of connectivity - further details to come. [ACCAN] 

Regional representatives in Melbourne to workshop improving bush comms

ACCAN joined Telstra's regional workshop late last week. It was a chance for assembled regional representatives to raise ongoing issues affecting mobile users after the 3G shutdown.  Network resilience; emerging telco tech and ongoing coverage problems; and support for consumers affected were key topics of conversation for consumer advocates attending the forum.  

Pictured is ACCAN's Senior Policy Adviser Amelia Radke (third from left) with Kristy Sparrow (Better Internet For Rural, Regional And Remote Australia), Wendy Hick, and Sally Brindal (Isolated Children’s Parent’s Association). [ACCAN Facebook post] 

Making the ACMA compliance priorities work for consumers – submission

Each year, the Australian Communications and Media Authority develops compliance priorities to shape their work program. Key areas of focus are selected which may cause harm or have a negative impact on the community.

This week ACCAN asked the ACMA to prioritise protections for vulnerable consumers, resilience, complaints handling and public reporting in their 2025-26 compliance priorities. 

Our recommendations reflect the importance incoming domestic, sexual and family  violence (DFSV) rules; the impact of natural disasters and extreme weather events on the community; ongoing frustration about mobile service quality from regional consumers post shutdown of the 3G network; and severe deficiencies in the Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) Code, which is currently under review by Communications Alliance. [ACCAN]

ACCAN backs stronger rules for fairer broadband access

ACCAN has made a submission to the ACCC calling for stronger rules to stop unfair behaviour by superfast broadband providers. This follows action taken against Uniti Group earlier this year for anti-competitive practices.

We’re backing moves to lock these protections into place long-term, so previous anti-competitive behaviour can’t be repeated. We’ve also called for clearer rules, better transparency, and fairer pricing—especially where providers aren’t paying key industry levies.

Everyone deserves access to reliable, fairly priced broadband—no matter their provider or network type. [ACCAN]

ACCAN interview - coverage problems in metropolitan areas

A national audit of mobile coverage is underway, testing 180,000km of roads and collecting crowdsourced data from over 160,000 Australians. In an interview with ABC Brisbane, ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett says the audit is revealing patchy and unreliable coverage—even in metro suburbs. The audit is an extremely valuable tool for industry and government to target investment and improvements.

This three-year audit will also provide hard evidence to push for better mobile coverage, especially in black spot areas where poor connectivity affects health, safety, and daily life. Reliable mobile service isn’t a luxury—it’s essential. [ABC – from 09:30 minutes]

Coalition announces $20 billion regional fund – including telco investment

As part of its federal election campaign, the Coalition has announced a $20 billion Regional Australia Future Fund to support infrastructure and essential services in the bush. This includes plans to improve mobile coverage and internet access—a longstanding priority for communities facing patchy service and unreliable networks.

We welcome any commitment that recognises communications as critical infrastructure, but lasting impact will depend on transparent funding and fair distribution. 

Regional Australians deserve telco services that match the city—not just in coverage, but in quality, price and support. ACCAN's submission to the recent Regional Telecommunications Review is available here.

Separately, the Coalition this week also pledged $6 million for the Alannah and Madeline Foundation to boost online child safety. [ABC]

Experienced sector advocates join ACCAN Board

ACCAN is pleased to announce that Jess Wilson and David Spriggs have joined the ACCAN Board. 

Jess Wilson is CEO of the Good Things Foundation Australia. David Spriggs is CEO of Infoxchange, and has over 20 years of experience working in senior management positions in the not-for-profit and technology sectors.  

Jess and David bring significant expertise in communications and organisational governance to ACCAN. [ACCAN]

Tel: (02) 9288 4000

Email: media@accan.org.au

Website: www.accan.org.au

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