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The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has fined Aussie Broadband for potentially putting the safety of thousands of customers at risk during a crisis.
Between November 2021 and May 2022, the users would not have received emergency alerts on their phones since the provider did not transfer 30,000 customer records to a database.
Law enforcement and emergency agencies use the information during natural catastrophes like floods and bushfires.
The company has paid a fine of more than $213,000 for “large scale” breaches of public safety rules.
The ACMA said Triple Zero would not have been able to locate the customers and they would not have received alerts.
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ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said she was not aware of anyone being harmed, but the company potentially put its customers at risk.
“It is alarming that Aussie Broadband did not have effective processes in place to identify that its customer information was not being provided for over six months,” O’Loughlin said.
“While the breaches should not have occurred, we are pleased to see Aussie Broadband moved quickly to upload the missing data once it was brought to its attention and has taken steps to comply in future.”
All telcos are required to hand over customers’ details to the database.
Over the past five years 30 companies have paid more than $4 million in penalties for failing to do so.
With AAP. (Content has been tweaked for length and style.)
Jaw de Guzman is the content producer for Comms Room, a knowledge platform and website aimed at assisting the communications industry and its professionals.
