Telcos comply with nbn critical information regulations

The majority of telcos are complying with rules about providing Critical Information Summaries (CIS) to their nbn customers, an ACMA intelligence sweep has found.

ACMA’s sweep covered all 131 telcos that were selling services provided over the nbn at the time of the review. It found that 97% of them have one or more CIS readily available on their website as required under the Telecommunication Consumer Protections Code.

“CIS provide important information to consumers when making a choice between the plans offered by different telcos,” said ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin.

“Consumers can find this information outlining pricing, minimum monthly charges and important service conditions on telcos’ websites.

“It’s encouraging to see a high level of compliance to provide information clearly and prominently as more consumers move to the new network.”

Despite this, three providers fell short on their obligations. Your Call Telecom, EHW Technology and Easy Internet Services were all formally warned by the ACMA for not providing any CIS. Each provider promptly addressed their non-compliance by developing CIS and including them on their websites.

The sweep also found that many providers were not following voluntary industry guidelines about the provision of information on medical alarms and the implications of power outages on new network services.

“The ACMA will be introducing new rules from 1 July to ensure that consumers have all the information they need — not just price information — to inform their decisions when moving to new services delivered over the nbn,” said O’Loughlin.

Image credit: ©Duncan Andison/Dollar Photo Club

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