Communications Archives - Page 14 of 40 - Consumers' Federation of Australia

27 November , 2020

Report reveals telco failures during COVID-19 crisis

Consumer Action has published a report with case studies and data documenting the ways the telecommunications industry in Australia continues to fail the community, even during the COVID-19 crisis. This is Consumer Action Law Centre Media Release. The Trouble with Telcos: Stories from 2020 report reveals that many people have been left high and dry by their telecommunications providers, with people being: unable to access affordable hardship assistance, forced to take out more credit to pay…

27 November , 2020

Financial counsellors welcome announcement of court proceedings concerning unconscionable conduct by Telstra against Indigenous customers

Financial counsellors around Australia welcome yesterday’s announcement by the ACCC that Telstra and the ACCC will be asking the Federal Court to impose a penalty of $50 million on the telco. The penalty relates to unconscionable conduct in its’ dealings with 108 Indigenous customers. This is a media release by Financial Counselling Australia. Telstra has admitted…

9 November , 2020

ACCC’s effort to improve broadband affordability and consumer compensation commended

The Australian Communication Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has welcomed announced measures from the ACCC to improve the affordability of entry-level nbn plan, and to ensure that consumers are better compensated for missed nbn appointments. “The issue of affordable broadband has never been more real for the millions of Australians who have turned to online services…

28 October , 2020

Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman reports third consecutive quarter of growth in overall complaints, Q1 small business complaints spike 28%

Between July and September 2020, residential consumers and small businesses made 34,476 complaints about phone and internet services. This is an increase of 3.4 percent on the previous quarter, and the third consecutive quarter of incremental growth in overall complaints. The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman’s Quarter 1 (Q1) 2020-21 Complaints Report shows complaints from small businesses…

28 October , 2020

Measuring Australia’s digital divide: the Australian digital inclusion index 2020

The Australian Digital Inclusion Index 2020, released by RMIT and Swinburne University of Technology for Telstra, illustrates Australia’s online participation. The following is a summary of the key findings of the study, published by the Analysis and Policy Observatory. The COVID-19 pandemic has underlined the critical importance of digital inclusion in contemporary Australia. With the…

12 October , 2020

Australian Association of National Advertisers Launches new Code of Ethics

Following an extensive public review process, the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) can now announce the new advertising Code of Ethics which will take effect from 1 February 2021. The AANA Code of Ethics applies to all advertising in Australia and the review sought to ensure that the Code continued to meet its objective…

30 September , 2020

Resilience tested, phone and internet complaints decrease in year of challenges

Complaints about phone and internet services decreased 4 per cent in the last financial year ending 30 June 2020. In this period, residential consumers and small businesses made 127,151 complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman, highlighted in the Annual Report 2019-20 published today. Read the TIO Annual Report 2019-20 here. Over the financial year complaints…

29 July , 2020

ACMA moves to protect Australians from phone scams

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) today launched the next phase of its action plan to combat scams, unveiling a suite of new resources designed to help Australians protect themselves on their home and mobile phones from scams. Chair of the ACMA’s Scam Taskforce Fiona Cameron said scammers are using the COVID-19 pandemic to take advantage of…

25 June , 2020

Consumers urged to look out for unexpected international transaction fees

Consumers should look out for unexpected international transaction fees when buying online from major brands, the ACCC has warned. Even websites with a .com.au domain name or that appear to be Australian based may process transactions overseas, meaning consumers can get charged an international transaction fee even for a purchase made in Australian dollars. The…

24 June , 2020

Working from home and cybercrime – how safe is my information?

Working from home has specific cyber security risks, including targeted cybercrime. The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has tips when working from home. Consumer groups are pushing for stronger cybersecurity responses from governments, internet providers and manufacturers, with clear and actionable guidance for consumers. Standards Australia has joined with AustCyber, industry leaders and the NSW…

21 May , 2020

NBN speeds recover after COVID-19 demand

NBN speeds and performance declined as Australians followed social distancing instructions to stay home due to COVID-19, but picked up following measures by NBN Co and streaming providers. The ACCC today released its first new monthly Measuring Broadband Australia report which tracks NBN network performance from February to April 2020. The report shows a recovery in network…

24 April , 2020

How to earn public trust before the Contact Tracing App: Australian Privacy Foundation

The Australian public is attracted by the idea of using technology to assist tracing contacts of people diagnosed with COVID-19. A proximity logging app is proposed. The Australian public, along with scientists and researchers around the world, is also very concerned about gifting future governments the power to impose contact tracing on the populace through…