A survey of telecommunications companies by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has found the majority are complying with new rules requiring them to provide customers with Critical Information Summaries (CIS).
Described by ACMA as an “intelligence sweep”, the survey covered all 131 telcos selling services provided by the National Broadband Network (NBN) at the time, revealing that 97 per cent had one or more CIS on their website as required under the Telecommunication Consumer Protections Code.
Chair of ACMA, Nerida O’Loughlin said CIS provided important information to consumers when making a choice between the plans offered by different telcos.
“Consumers can find this information outlining pricing, minimum monthly charges, and important service conditions on telcos’ websites,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
She said it was encouraging to see a high level of compliance to provide information clearly and prominently as more consumers moved to the NBN, although a small number fell short.
“Three providers — Your Call Telecom, EHW Technology and Easy Internet Services — were formally warned by the ACMA for not providing any CIS,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
“Each provider promptly addressed their noncompliance by developing CIS and including them on their websites.”
She said the survey 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.
“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,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
The findings of the survey can be accessed from ACMA’s website at this PS News link.
