No 22: 11 October 2023

Further Steep Drop in Complaints to TIO Welcomed by Industry

Communications Alliance has welcomed a further 16.5% fall in the volume of customer complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO).

The continuing reduction in complaints was revealed in the TIO Annual Report for 2022-23, released this week.

Communications Alliance CEO, John Stanton, said the further substantial reduction in complaints is particularly welcome against a background of financial stress for many Australians and is a further vindication of the increased focus of telco providers on customer service excellence and complaint resolution - and the strengths of the co-regulatory framework.

“It is significant that the reduction was achieved despite a short-term boost in some complaint areas, relating to cyber security. The result is in stark contrast to large increases in complaints recorded in other industry sectors supplying essential services,

“It is pleasing to see that complaint volumes appear to be continuing their downward path in the early months of the current financial year, which augurs well for even further improvements in outcomes for Australian telco customers.”

Inappropriate Fees for Satellite Earth Stations

The ACMA recently consulted on their activities relating to radiocommunications, telecommunications and broadcasting services that are subject to charging arrangements, including the introduction of additional charges associated with applications for the issue of an area-wide receive licence (AWRL).

A number of SSWG members operate C-band gateway Earth Stations in the 3.8 GHz band in metropolitan areas of Australia that support the maritime, mining, energy, defence, telecommunications and government sectors. The ACMA is proposing to issue AWRLs in the upcoming allocation process of apparatus licences in this band.

The Communications Alliance Satellite Services Working Group (SSWG) provided a submission outlining the reasons why this model is inappropriate for earth station receivers, including the inefficient use of spectrum, the imposition of undue constraints on existing and future Fixed Satellite Services operations in the band, and the disproportionate increase in annual tax and the significant increase in the cost of issuing or varying the licence for an earth station receiver.

New Members

Communications Alliance is pleased to welcome the following new member:

Current Consultations

Below is a list of currently open telecommunications-related consultations being conducted by Government and other organisations that provide an opportunity for you to have your say.

Communications Alliance members interested in contributing to an industry submission (if one is being developed in response to a specific consultation) should contact us.