Issue No 1: 1 February 2021

Communications Alliance’s Pre-Budget Submission

Communications Alliance has provided a submission to Government’s 2021-22 Pre-Budget consultation process. The submission includes comments on national security and online safety, Emergency Cell Broadcast technology, and the future of the ACCC’s Measuring Broadband Australia program.

The submission is available on our website.

Revised Industry Code to Provide Consultation on Temporary Mobile Phone Radiocommunications Infrastructure (Temporary Facilities)

A revision to the Mobile Phone Base Station Deployment Code, which has recently been registered by the industry regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), aims to improve the means of communication and accessibility of information to local Councils and the community relating to the deployment of temporary facilities.

For the purposes of this Code, the recent amendments to the Telecommunications (Low impact Facilities) Determination 2018 enable carriers to deploy a temporary facility when used to:

(a) provide additional capacity during one or more events (such as a cultural, festival or sporting event);
(b) provide additional capacity during a high-demand holiday period; or
(c) minimise service disruption during the maintenance or replacement of an existing facility.

The Code provides a positive consultative framework to improve the community knowledge of mobile phone base stations and deployments.

Enhancements to Ensure the Continuing High Quality of the Emergency Call Service

In April 2019, the Telecommunications (Emergency Call Service) Determination 2019 (Determination) replaced the 2009 Determination. In December 2020, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) registered a revision to the Emergency Call Service Requirements Code.

The 2020 revision of the Code was undertaken to ensure alignment with changes made to the 2009 Determination and as part of the Code's scheduled review. Updates were also made to information in the Appendices to ensure all information remains correct and relevant for customers.

The Code places specific obligations on carriers, and carriage service providers in relation to their interaction with the key emergency call services (ECS) stakeholders: customers, emergency call persons, and emergency service organisations. The scope of the Code strengthens arrangements for provision of the ECS by extending obligations to sections of the telecommunications industry not covered by the Determination.