Proposed Broadband Monitoring Must Pass the ‘Red Tape’ Test
Sydney, 11 September 2015 – The ACCC’s push to create the regulatory burden of a broadband performance monitoring regime should undergo rigorous cost-benefit analysis, Communications Alliance said today.
Commenting on the report of a pilot program released by the ACCC today, Communications Alliance CEO, John Stanton, cautioned that, without a very large sample size which represents a cross section of all user situations, the pilot methodology was unlikely to provide reliable results.
“The growing diversity of access technologies within the NBN multi-technology mix, the need to divide the results by region and the fact that there are more than 400 broadband service providers in Australia may add up to a very expensive solution – the cost of which will ultimately fall on taxpayers or internet consumers.
“Industry welcomes the opportunity to consult further with the ACCC, but that discussion should encompass the full range of options available to meet the aim of greater transparency around broadband performance.
“Options such as crowd-sourcing, which has been used in the US, existing over-the-top measurement tools and other less invasive schemes should be looked at.
“We need to ensure that if a monitoring program is introduced, it is cost-effective, produces reliable data and takes account of the fact that there are factors beyond the control of service providers that can influence the results.”
The ACCC report notes that there was not a consensus view among international regulators that the monitoring programs they had introduced had brought about benefits to stakeholders.
Communications Alliance is preparing to undertake further customer research to better understand what performance information they are seeking and then consider an industry response to address any significant gaps that are not already addressed through existing published metrics.
ABOUT COMMUNICATIONS ALLIANCE
Communications Alliance is the primary telecommunications industry body in Australia. Its membership is drawn from a wide cross-section of the communications industry, including carriers, carriage and internet service providers, content providers, search engines, equipment vendors, IT companies, consultants and business groups.
Its vision is to
provide a unified voice for the telecommunications industry and to lead
it into the next generation of converging networks, technologies and
services. The prime mission of Communications Alliance is to promote the
growth of the Australian communications industry and the protection of
consumer interests by fostering the highest standards of business ethics
and behaviour through industry self-governance. For more details about
Communications Alliance, see www.commsalliance.com.au
Media information contacts:
Communications Alliance
Hannah Ritchie
hritchie@kreab.com
0452 404 303