Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA)

If you’re travelling outside Australia these holidays, plan ahead and avoid mobile phone bill shock. Using your mobile phone or smart device on international networks can be expensive. Costs can add up quickly. To prepare for using your phone or device overseas, read the critical information summary from your telco. This summary explains what you can be charged for and how much it will cost. You can also: • Request information from your telco, like how to disable international roaming or check your usage. • Avoid pay-as-you-go roaming. If international roaming is automatically enabled on your phone or plan, and you don’t want to use it, consider disabling it. • Turn off auto-update settings for your apps. • Ask your telco about available roaming bundles. • Download maps and entertainment before leaving Australia. • Remember, text messages are usually cheaper than phone calls or data. More information: https://lnkd.in/gaGgdFqi

From January 2026, all connected TV devices supplied in Australia must comply with new TV prominence rules. These rules are designed to make it easier for Australians to access free-to-air services and apps on their smart TVs and similar devices. The ACMA has today released a report on the outcomes of our recent consultation on TV prominence implementation. The report summarises stakeholder submissions, updates our preliminary views on implementation, and details our next steps. The outcomes report is available here: https://lnkd.in/gkW6JT76

The ACMA has released a new telco customer complaints handling report, ranking the performance of the 34 largest telcos operating in Australia against 3 key complaint handling metrics. The report provides data for July to September 2024, ranking the telcos against the number of complaints received per 10,000 services in operation. ACMA authority member Samantha Yorke said that, for the very first time, consumers can see how their telco is performing in handling complaints compared to their competitors. “We know that telco customers want their complaints handled quickly and effectively. This new report shows which telcos are doing well in helping their customers and those who need to improve.” The data will be updated quarterly to show changes over time. Read the report in full: https://lnkd.in/gG2pJeSW

If you’re facing financial difficulties and struggling to pay your telco bills, there are options to help keep you connected. If you need support, contact your telco provider to discuss a financial hardship arrangement. Find out more on our website, which includes a fact sheet on how to help people who are struggling to pay their telco bills: https://lnkd.in/g3xWZTxr If you need free financial counselling or urgent help, see the MoneySmart website https://lnkd.in/g-5VEmn4

The ACMA welcomes today’s announcement from Communications Alliance (CA) that it has opened a consultation on its revised draft of the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Industry Code (TCP Code). The TCP Code, which sets out rules for how telcos interact with their residential and small business mobile, landline and internet customers, is an important part of Australia’s broader telecommunications consumer protection framework. Following extensive engagement between CA and the ACMA, the ACMA recently provided feedback to CA on the revisions to the draft TCP Code and advised that it should progress to public consultation. Submissions to CA are welcome by 28 February. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g9ASdT4m

The ACMA has directed telco NETSIP PTY LTD (NetSIP) to comply with Australia’s phone scam rules after an ACMA investigation found it breached monitoring, information-sharing and reporting obligations. Under the Reducing Scam Calls and Scam SMs Industry Code, telcos are required to monitor and disrupt scams, share information about scam traffic with other telcos and government agencies, and report blocked scams to the ACMA. The ACMA found NetSIP failed to share information about nearly 47,000 scam calls with other telcos and approximately 500,000 scam calls with the ACMA. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gd8ZxUFE

The ACMA is consulting on Australia’s telecommunications numbering charges instruments. Six numbering related instruments are due to sunset in 2025. To minimise the number of consultations, the ACMA has combined these into 2 review processes the first of which opened on 13 November 2024. As part of the second review process, and following targeted consultation with stakeholders, 3 draft numbering charges related instruments (the Annual Charge, Collection of Annual Charges, and the Allocation Charges determinations) and a consultation paper are now open for public comment. Submissions close on 24 January 2025. Find out more and have your say: https://lnkd.in/g46RVCT9

Scammers take advantage of the online shopping frenzy in the lead up to Christmas. During the holiday season there is a surge in scammers impersonating well-known retail websites and parcel delivery services like Amazon, Australia Post and DHL to steal your personal or financial information. Scam parcel delivery SMS and email messages may contain unusual-looking links, ask you to arrange re-delivery of a package, update your delivery details or request payment of a fee. If you’re unsure whether an SMS or email message is real: • Verify the sender’s contact details yourself from an official website or app, or via information received at the time of purchase, such as a tracking number. • Do not click on any links or call any phone numbers in the message. • Report the scam to Scamwatch at https://lnkd.in/dNmceMB. Find out more about how to avoid scams during this holiday seasons: https://lnkd.in/gKdNPdtn

Subscription video on demand (SVOD) providers spent $341 million on Australian programs in the 2023–24 financial year, up from $324 million in 2022–23, according to new data from the ACMA. The data comes from the fifth ACMA SVOD Australian content report, and includes figures provided on a voluntary basis from Disney+, Netflix, Paramount+, Prime Video and Stan. Overall, Australians were able to watch more Australian content across all five SVOD services. At 30 June 2024, 3,776 Australian program titles were available to Australian audiences across these services, up from 3,757 in the previous year. Read more in our report: https://lnkd.in/gu8iCbYt

If you're shopping for a 2-way radio from overseas, think before you buy. Some imported radios can cause illegal interference to emergency services. Dodgy radios are often cheap and sold online with pre-programmed frequencies. The supplier may not know if you’re allowed to operate on these frequencies in Australia. Before you buy: • check the supplier location • ensure the radio complies with Australian rules • check the radio has a label with the Regulatory Compliance Mark (RCM) which shows that a product is safe to supply to the Australian market. Learn more at https://lnkd.in/gEvrynnd