From August 2011, ACMAsphere will no longer be published. You can stay informed about our work in the converging fields of radiocommunications, telecommunications, broadcasting and the internet by visiting our beta site, engage.acma.gov.au, for the latest updates and dynamic digital content, and to subscribe to our regular e-newsletter or RSS feed.
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Issue 65—July 2011
The July issue will be the final ACMAsphere as you know it—we’re going digital, meaning that printed and pdf copies will no longer be produced. From August, all our regular content—and much more—will be available on the ACMA’s beta website, engage.acma.gov.au. You’ll experience a number of benefits from our move to an online blog format, including more timely and up-to-date content, more dynamic and rich material, more interaction, more convenient ways to comment on our work, more tailored content and more information. Join us on engage from early August and subscribe to receive a regular This month also sees the release of new research showing that an increasing number of Australians are going online and using the internet more intensively. The internet service market and Australians in the online environment highlights how consumers are engaging with the digital economy more often, especially for online shopping, banking and social networking, and are using a variety of devices according to their needs and lifestyle. In other news, we feature a wrap-up of the highly successful RadComms2011, the ACMA’s fifth conference on spectrum management and radiocommunications issues, including an extract of ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman’s speech. Download issue 65 (1.45 mb) or HTML |
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Issue 64—June 2011 This month, the ACMA launches its draft Reconnecting the Customer report. The public inquiry into telecommunications customer service and complaints-handling has put the industry on notice that its approach to customer care needs to change. The draft report highlights the rise in customer complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman and outlines six major consumer protection measures that ACMA has asked industry to deliver. The final report will be released in August 2011. The June issue also highlights research showing that mobile phones continue to leap ahead as the main communications service for Australians, but that the vast majority of consumers have a patchy understanding of billing and call price information. Numbering: Implications of research into consumer issues is the fourth consultation paper in the ACMA’s comprehensive numbering work program. In other news, the ACMA has released its future strategy for mobile broadband, which aims to unlock significant spectrum, and make the best use of current and future technologies. As part of this process, the ACMA has invited public comment on two spectrum discussion papers. Download issue 64 (1.41 mb) or HTML |
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Issue 63—May 2011 The May issue highlights the hot topic of ‘convergence’—the fundamental shift in communications and media that is blurring previously clear-cut distinctions between radiocommunications, telecommunications, broadcasting and the internet. In a speech to the annual ATUG conference, ACMA Chairman Chris Chapman outlined how convergence is now part of the organisation’s day-to-day business, and how the ACMA’s work will inform and support the government’s recently announced Convergence Review. This month also sees the release of research that shows Australian consumers do not feel fully informed when they sign up to telecommunications contracts. Community research on informed consent reveals that buyers want providers to offer full information in an accessible manner and at the time of agreement. In other news, the ACMA’s Cybersmart Outreach program recently launched an online professional development program called Connect.ed. This innovative and free resource helps educate teachers about the world of social media and gives them great strategies to protect young people online. Download issue 63 (1.54 mb) or HTML |
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Issue 62—April 2011 The April issue features the release of details on RadComms2011, the ACMA’s annual conference on the management of the radiofrequency spectrum. This year’s event, to be held in Sydney on 26 and 27 May, will offer industry the opportunity to hear the latest spectrum developments and challenges. The keynote speaker is Dr Martin B.H. Weiss, from the University of Pittsburgh, whose main research area is dynamic spectrum access. This month also sees the release of the latest numbering research. Allocation and charging of numbers, the third in a series of four consultation papers, examines whether managing telephone numbers as a scarce resource remains efficient and effective for the long term. The report shows that social networking identifiers and electronic addressing mechanisms may substitute for telephone numbers in the near future. In other news, the ACMA participated in the 2011 National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence, held on 18 March. The key theme of the day was encouraging young people to speak up for their friends who are the victim of bullying. The ACMA provided lesson plans for teachers on how to manage cyberbullying and also staged a Cybersmart Hero event created to tackle this issue. Download issue 62 (1.33 mb) or HTML |
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Issue 61—March 2011 The March issue features a report on the growing importance of home networks as the focal point for entertainment, telecommunications and automation systems. Developments in home networks reveals that consumers will have increased responsibilities for providing and managing these systems, as services move from a single provider to a more complex network that encompasses multiple systems, technologies and providers. This month also sees the release of a Commercial Radio Standards review options paper. Public comment is sought on a number of reform options for each of the three existing standards—the Advertising Standard, the Disclosure Standard and the Compliance Standard, with the regulation of live reads and the definition of commercial material among the key considerations. In other news, the ACMA spearheaded another successful Safer Internet Day in mid February. With a theme of ‘It’s more than a game, it’s your life’, staying safe online was the key message of the annual event. Across the world, 73 countries participated in the day, with the ACMA’s activities focusing on its popular Cybersmart Detectives program. Download issue 61 (1.12 mb) or HTML |
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Issue 60—February 2011 The first issue for 2011 reports that the parental lock feature is now compulsory on all new digital television receivers sold in Australia. This tool allows parents to more effectively monitor which television shows their children watch by selecting the classification level above which they wish programs to be blocked. Manufacturers, importers and retails now face penalties if they supply new equipment to the Australian market that does not have the parental lock feature. This month also features an overview of the new spectrum arrangements in the 403–520 MHz band, which provide a great opportunity to develop a nationally harmonised system of radio networks for use by state, territory and federal emergency services. The result of a three-year review, the new spectrum allocation will provide a greater level of support for emergency services and other vital government objectives. In other news, the devastating Queensland floods forced the evacuation of the National Relay Service’s main Brisbane call centre. The ACMA’s quick response, which included working with Telstra to establish a temporary NRS call centre and the release of a number of Auslan videos, meant that Australians who are deaf, or who have a hearing or speech impairment, were able to use the emergency call service throughout the crisis and access updates on the status of the NRS. Download issue 60 (1.30 mb) or HTML |
