Issue No 14: 2 June 2021

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* Shortlisted Finalists Announced: Wednesday 7 July
* ACOMM Awards Dinner & Winners Announced: Wednesday 18 August  

Communications Alliance Welcomes Reduction in Telco Complaints

Figures released today by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) show that complaints in the three months to end-March 2021 were down 6.1 per cent on the same quarter last year, and also slightly lower than the previous quarter – building on a trend of improvement during the past 12 months.

The report also showed a significant quarterly drop of 38 per cent in complaints from customers about difficulty in contacting their service provider.

Communications Alliance CEO, John Stanton, said the drop in complaints was a welcome sign that telcos are consolidating the improved service levels they have rebuilt since the disruptive early period of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Everyone knows it is frustrating when it is hard to contact service providers in any industry to get an issue dealt with – so the evident strong improvement in telcos being reachable and available to deliver good customer service is very welcome,” Mr Stanton said.

Digital Accessibility Training for Telecommunication Providers

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has funded a project by the Centre for Accessibility (CFA) to improve the accessibility of websites and apps provided by the telecommunications sector.

Coming out of this project, they are offering a free workshop which will upskill staff on how to make content more accessible.

This workshop includes:

• How people with disability access your content: includes a hands-on practical exercise of using a screen reader
• The W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 overview: a guide to the definitive world standard in digital access
• WCAG: a role-based approach: explore how the standard relates to different organisational roles
• Telcos for All report: a discussion into the key issues found and how to address them.
• Finding and addressing issues: key guidance on how to check your content and a practical exercise on how to fix issues as they appear.
• The future: with two new versions of WCAG on the horizon and other access developments, this final session will look at what’s coming and how to prepare.

Stage 2 Review of the Model Defamation Provisions (MDP)

Communications Alliance has made a submission in response to the Attorneys-General Discussion Paper Review of Model Defamation Provisions – Stage 2.

The submission argues that:

• The existing MDP should be amended to shift the focus back onto the originators of content, away from so-called online intermediaries.
• Basic internet services, including internet service providers, cloud service providers, search engine providers and others that are passive and neutral towards the publishing of the defamatory content ought to have complete immunity from any liability.
• For any other third parties that are not content originators, the innocent dissemination provisions ought to be strengthened and a safe harbour ought to be available.
• The submission proposes a safe harbour model subject to a complaints notice process based on the UK model but with substantial deviations from the UK approach, including that complainants must be required to take reasonable steps to identify the originator and that the notice must be given legal status.
• The submission finds that no specific provision governing when a court may order that a subordinate third party, basic internet service or search engine disclose the identity of a user who has posted defamatory material online is required given the existing preliminary discovery process.

Communications Alliance Submission

Comms Alliance has provided a submission to PM&C’s consultation on their Draft Regulator Performance Guide.

New Member

Communications Alliance is pleased to welcome the following new member: