ACMA’s telco rules finalised

The ACMA’s final set of rules to improve the experience for consumers moving to services delivered over the National Broadband Network (NBN) commence today.

‘The ACMA has been working hard on behalf of consumers to address issues of concern before we reach the peak rollout period for the NBN,’ said ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin.

Over the last six months, the ACMA has made rules obliging telcos to:

The rules are directly enforceable by the ACMA and, where breaches are found, allow it to commence court proceedings seeking remedies such as injunctions and civil penalties of up to $10 million where breaches are found.

‘With the new rules in place, the ACMA will now turn its attention to industry compliance’, said Ms O’Loughlin. ‘We have already put telcos on notice in our Compliance and enforcement—statement of approach that early and consistent compliance with the new rules is essential.’

New complaints-handing rules have been in place since July 1 and the ACMA has a targeted audit of compliance well underway.

‘Our preliminary findings indicate that telcos still have a long way to go to comply with these new complaints-handling rules’, said Ms O’Loughlin.  ‘Formal investigations into a number of providers are ongoing and we will publish a report on these once finalised.’

‘We remain absolutely focused on the implementation of safeguards and protections for consumers during their move to services delivered over the NBN’, Ms O’Loughlin added.

For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact: Alex McGregor, Media contact, (02) 9334 7838 or media@acma.gov.au.