NBN telcos fall in line with critical information

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is satisfied with the uptake of telcos providing critical information summaries (CIS) to their customers, as regulatory bodies continue to fight misrepresentation around NBN plans.

Following a sweep of the 131 telcos selling services provided over the NBN at the time of the review, the communications regulator yesterday announced it had found the overwhelming majority of telcos were now complying with rules to provide clear and detailed descriptions of their services and contracts to customers.

During its review, the ACMA found just three telcos that were not proving CIS. 

Warrnambool, Victoria-based Your Call Telecom, Mackay, Queensland-based EHW Technology and Easy Internet Services were given formal warnings by the authority, which were then promptly addressed.

‘It’s encouraging to see a high level of compliance to provide information clearly and prominently as more consumers move to the new network,’ ACMA chair O’Loughlin said. ‘However, we found a small number of providers fell short.’

All three companies have since complied and now include critical information summaries on their websites.

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

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

The authority found that more than 97 percent of telcos had made at least one CIS available to consumers as required, although only 67 percent had CIS with information about inclusions, exclusions, important conditions, limitations, restrictions or qualifications.

The ACMA also found that an unspecified number of 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,” O’Loughlin said.

The authority announced the rules in December, with the aim of improving the consumer experience in moving to the NBN.