The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) took action against seven telcos after investigations revealed they neglected the submission of compulsory compliance statements in 2021.
The ACMA has formally directed Telcos AirTel, Just ISP, New Sprout, City Communications, 1Telecom, and PennyTel to adhere to the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code (TCP Code).
The Sydney-based carrier Exetel paid a $13,320 infringement fee after failing to file its compliance statement in 2019 despite warnings to follow the code.
According to the law, telcos offering services to residential and small business customers are required to submit annual compliance attestation statements to Communications Compliance, an independent compliance monitoring organization.
The declarations must demonstrate that a telco has complied with all of its responsibilities under the TCP Code, which protects users of mobile, landline, and internet services and contains guidelines for concerns like:
In July, the ACMA also issued SpinTel a directive to comply with the TCP Code for its misleading use of the term “unlimited” in its advertising.
Read here: SpinTel breaks fair advertising policies with misleading “unlimited” promo (commsroom.co)
In April, Telstra refunded its customers over $1.73 million and paid $506,160 for infringement fees after overcharging customers between 2018 and 2021, which is a TCP Code violation.
Read here: Telstra pays affected customers over $2.2M in refunds and penalties (commsroom.co)
Telcos are required to submit their 2022 compliance attestation until September 1, 2022.
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
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