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ACCC declares wholesale ADSL, commences related processes

14 February 2012: The ACCC has declared the wholesale ADSL service under section 152AL of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.  The ACCC considers that this will promote the long-term interests of end-users of fixed-line broadband internet services throughout Australia.  Declaration will remove impediments to competitive internet service providers gaining access to Telstra’s national ADSL […] Read more »

Two businesses warned for failing to comply with Spam Act

9 February 2012: The Australian Communications and Media Authority has issued formal warnings to two unrelated Sydney businesses, Select Print Solutions and SThree Australia under the Spam Act.   The warnings were made in response to findings by the ACMA that both businesses had breached the Spam Act by sending marketing messages without consent.  SThree Australia […] Read more »

ACCAN does not support Telecommunications Consumer Protection Code

7 February 2012:  Peak consumer group ACCAN says it cannot support the revised Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) Code that was submitted to the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA) for registration.   “The telecommunications industry has been told by the regulator that it [the Code] needs to change substantially to curb the level of customer complaints […] Read more »

ACMA response to Telecommunications Protections Code

7 February 2012: ‘The Australian Communications and Media Authority will assess the Telecommunications Protections Code provided to us today seeking registration as the industry’s code,’ said ACMA chairman, Chris Chapman.   The ACMA is aware that the revised TCP code was approved by the Board of Communications Alliance for submission to the ACMA.  We will consider […] Read more »

Open access wholesale service on Telstra fibre networks

23 January 2012:   Senator Stephen Conroy has announced that Telstra would provide an open access wholesale service on fibre networks it is currently deploying in South Brisbane and some new real estate projects.  Telstra will provide a wholesale broadband service, called the Fibre Access Broadband Service, to access seekers on request, on an open and […] Read more »

Vodafone Hutchison commits to improved Do Not Call Register compliance

10 January 2012:  The Australian Communications and Media Authority has accepted an enforceable undertaking from Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) to rein in wayward dealers telemarketing the products of Vodafone and 3 Mobile after receiving complaints about unsolicited calls from consumers on the Do Not Call Register. Full story here. Read more »

ACMA issues Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code directions to Vodafone

21 December 2011: The Australian Communications and Media Authority has issued directions to two Vodafone companies requiring them to comply with the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code (TCP Code).   The directions are intended to make sure Vodafone remains focussed on improving outcomes for its consumers by increasing the regulatory consequences of any further breach. Full story […] Read more »

ACCAN says ACMA’s response to Vodafail reveals deep flaws in co-regulatory model

21 December 2011: Peak consumer body ACCAN says current and ex Vodafone customers will be left shaking their heads when they discover that, 12 months on, the telecommunications regulator has let the provider off virtually scot-free for the widespread network, complaint-handling problems that plagued Vodafone customers last summer, known colloquially as ‘Vodafail’. Full story here. Read more »

ACMA Communications Report 2010/2011

13 December 2011: The ACMA has released its 2010/2011 Communications Report. This major piece of research provides a snapshot of the communications services available and the preferences of Australian consumers.  Some key figures: Use of VoIP at home increased by 31 per cent to reach 3.8 million Australians aged 14 years and over at June […] Read more »

Privacy Commissioner investigates Telstra data breach

12 December 2011: Australian Privacy Commissioner, Timothy Pilgrim, has announced: “I have opened a formal investigation into the Telstra data breach.  At a briefing today Telstra has assured our office that the immediate problem has been rectified and that personal data is no longer accessible.  I have asked that Telstra also provide me with a […] Read more »

ACCC draft final access determination for regulated transmission services

9 December 2011: The ACCC has issued a draft final access determination (FAD) for the declared domestic transmission capacity service (DTCS). The price terms of the draft FAD are based on a domestic benchmarking approach using a linear regression model. The model uses prices on competitive routes to predict the prices that would be expected […] Read more »

ACCC receives revised structural separation undertaking from Telstra

9 December 2011: The ACCC has received a revised structural separation undertaking from Telstra.   The ACCC is now giving urgent consideration to initiating a public inquiry into declaration of wholesale ADSL under Part XIC of the Competition and Consumer Act 2010.  In addition, the ACCC will shortly be finalising its inquiry into varying the exemption […] Read more »

Converging communications channels

8 December 2011: The Converging Communications Channels research released by the ACMA suggests that Australians continue to embrace multiple communication technologies, with the mobile phone, the rise of the smartphone and internet-based communications complementing traditional fixed-line telephony.   According to the report, in the six months to April 2011, 84 percent of adults in fixed-line telephone […] Read more »

Broadband network provides in-home healthcare

29 November 2011: The Minister for Veterans’ Affairs, Warren Snowdon, and the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, have announced an $8 million trial which will enable chronically ill veterans access in-home healthcare, to have their health monitored by health professionals without leaving their home. Full story here. Read more »