Issue No 14: 26 May 2020

Visit the 2019 ACOMMS photo gallery here and highlights video here. Media Release here.

Communications Alliance Welcomes Latest Measuring Broadband Report

Communications Alliance has welcomed today’s Measuring Broadband Australia report from the ACCC, showing that quick work by the telecommunications industry enabled customers to return to pre-pandemic download speeds despite the extreme increase in network demand.

“Despite facing the highest demand Australia has ever seen, which has included a nearly 130% increase in upstream traffic, the ACCC’s report shows that our industry has adapted quickly to support Australians during this crisis,” said Communications Alliance CEO, John Stanton.[1]

“We are also pleased that through the past 3 years, this report has consistently shown that Australians are generally receiving the speeds advertised by their retailers.”

“We understand how vital it is to remain connected at all times, and particularly in light of the current pandemic. If customers have concerns about their service, we strongly encourage them to check their RSP’s self-service resources and tips, and if they are still having challenges, to talk to their RSP.”

Communications Alliance and the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) have provided consumer guidance and information on initiatives to help ensure Australians stay connected to the telco services they need during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the “Keeping Australians Connected” package.

Submission to Treasury on the Future Directions of the Consumer Data Right

Communications Alliance made a submission to The Treasury’s Issues Paper Future Directions of the Consumer Data Right (CDR).

The submission calls for a gap analysis of existing practices and regulations in the telecommunications sector vis-a-vis the stated objectives of the CDR and argues that any proposed measures to implement the CDR in our sector be preceded by an evidence-based cost-benefit analysis and ought to focus on the achievement of the objectives (rather than be prescriptive in their approach).

The submission also notes that an expansion of the CDR to include write access functionality would be impractical (and potentially undesirable) for large amounts of telecommunications data (metadata) which is being used for Law Enforcement Purposes and likely of only limited benefit to consumers. We also warn of the risks for additional fraud and scamming activities that may result from the creation of write access.

Supplementary Submission to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements

Communications Alliance (CA) and the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) have made a joint supplementary submission to the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements to provide further detail on an earlier CA/AMTA recommendation to review the regulatory arrangements around the provision of Location Dependent Carriage Services (LDCSs).

The submission details the current regulatory arrangements that prohibit the use of unlisted telephone numbers (and associated information) in the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND) for LDCSs. LDCSs are being used for listed entries in the IPND to route calls most efficiently through telecommunications networks, including calls from community services organisations to emergency services organisations, but are unavailable to unlisted entries.

The submission proposes an amendment to the relevant section of the Telecommunications Act 1997 to ensure that unlisted entries can also benefit from LDCSs, and seeks an interim clarification on policy and enforcement expectations from the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications and the Australian Communications and Media Authority, respectively.

It is also noted that if carriers and carriage services providers were to provide LDCSs for unlisted entries, they would not disclose the telephone number of an unlisted entry to the receiving party but instead only use the information provided to them by the IPND Manager within their network for call routing purposes. Prior to delivery of the phone call to its final destination, the network settings would prevent the Calling Number Display information from being made available to the receiving party.

^{[1] https://www.nbnco.com.au/corporate-information/media-centre/media-statements/australian-broadband-data-demand}

New Member

Communications Alliance is pleased to welcome the following new member: