| Action
|
Status
|
| Building our understanding |
| Industry information-gathering |
Information obtained from telcos across the NBN supply chain. |
Published 21 December 2017 |
| Residential households and business survey |
Information obtained from residential households and small businesses about their experiences in migrating to and using the NBN. |
Snapshot of early insights from the residential households survey published 15 March 2018
Full research report, including insights from the small business survey, published 22 August 2018
|
| Customer information review |
Review of information provided by all telcos offering NBN services to customers via their websites, including information on critical information summaries. |
Published 3 April 2018 |
| Modem quality study |
Quality of modems and other performance matters that may impact consumers’ experience of the NBN to be examined. |
Expected to be completed in the second half of 2018 |
| Making new rules |
| Consumer information |
Deals with the problem of consumers not having the right information to consider what they need for an NBN service, or to choose a telco and new plan.
The ACMA has made the Telecommunications (NBN Consumer Information) Industry Standard 2018 (Consumer Information Standard), which specifies the minimum information that telcos must provide, including about the services they supply on the NBN, before consumers sign up.
|
Consultation paper released 10 April 2018
Consumer Information Standard registered 22 June 2018
|
| NBN migration and service continuity |
Deals with the problem that some consumers do not get a working NBN service at the time of connection and, in some cases, are left without a working telecommunications service during their move to the NBN.
The ACMA has made:
- the Telecommunications (NBN Continuity of Service) Industry Standard 2018 (Service Continuity Standard), which enables consumers who cannot get a working NBN service to be reconnected to their old service if feasible, unless one of certain limited exceptions applies
- the Telecommunications Service Provider (NBN Service Migration) Determination 2018 (Service Migration Determination), which requires telcos to:
- conduct a post-migration test to determine whether a consumer’s NBN service is working
- provide an interim service if a consumer is left without a working telecommunications service during their move to the NBN, unless one of certain limited exceptions applies
- for NBN technologies that use the existing copper network–confirm that the underlying network infrastructure can support the speed tier specified in the plan sold to the consumer and provide remedies if it doesn’t.
|
Consultation paper released 10 April 2018
Service Continuity Standard registered 22 June 2018
Service Migration Determination made 23 July 2018
|
| Handling of complaints |
Deals with the problem that complaints made by some consumers about their migration to, or use of, services on the NBN are not managed effectively.
The ACMA has made the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints Handling) Industry Standard 2018 (Complaints-handling Standard), which specifies the processes that telcos must follow in handling complaints from their customers. It also requires wholesale providers, including NBN Co, to assist both retail-level telcos and the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman in handling complaints. The Complaints-handling Standard is not limited to complaints about NBN services.
The ACMA has made the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints) Record-Keeping Rules 2018 (Record-Keeping Rules), which require specified telcos to report data about the complaints they receive to the ACMA, so these can be monitored. The Record-Keeping Rules are also not limited only to NBN services.
|
Consultation paper released 15 March 2018
Complaints-handling Standard and Record-Keeping Rules registered 7 June 2018.
|
| Intensifying our enforcement and education efforts |
| Monitor and enforce compliance |
To ensure new and existing rules are effective and consumers and businesses are protected, the ACMA will actively monitor telcos’ compliance with rules, and may take enforcement action in the event of non-compliance. |
Ongoing |
| Education and awareness |
To enable businesses and consumers to understand their rights, and telcos to understand their responsibilities and obligations, the ACMA will intensify our education and awareness activities.
For consumers, the ACMA will be providing new materials to help consumers and businesses to get the best out of their NBN services.
|
From June 2018 |
| Encouraging better industry practices |
| Better practice guide for telcos |
Jointly developed with Behavioural Economics Team of the Australian Government, the ACMA’s A better practice guide for NBN providers will assist consumers to better choose an NBN plan that meets their needs. |
Published on 10 July 2018 |
| Compliance tune-ups |
Presentation notes from the event—jointly hosted by ACMA and Communications Alliance.
|
Sydney: Thursday 26 July 2018
Melbourne: Friday 27 July 2018
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