Communications Alliance backs ACMA’s inquiry draft report

Local communications industry body, Communications Alliance, has backed the findings in ACMA's recently released Reconnecting the Customer inquiry draft report.

The inquiry aims to achieve improved customer service, complaint handling and customer satisfaction in the local telecommunications division.

Communications Alliance CEO, John Stanton, said, “A number of the recommendations are in line with the direction industry is taking – through the extensive revision of the Telecommunications Consumer Protections [TCP)] Code, and through a wide range of individual initiatives by service providers.”

Stanton also said some of the recommendations surpassed those of the current TCP Code draft which includes advances to consumer protection and industry practices – in areas such as product disclosure, complaint handling, advertising, code compliance and spend management tools.

He said the industry will study the ACMA recommendations and could potentially incorporate essentials left out by the revised draft Code.

“It has been waiting on the RTC Inquiry draft findings before being released for public comment,” Stanton said.

Further work is required in deciding on the most practical method of implementing additional measures.

The TCP Code Steering Group will convene in the coming days to inspect the draft in light of the ACMA report.