The ACMA’s international engagement - regulating in a globalised communications and media environment

The ACMA’s overriding purpose is to make communications and media work in the public interest, and its international engagement is central to achieving this. The role of international engagement in both protecting and promoting Australia’s communications and media interests is reflected in the legislation the ACMA administers - particularly for spectrum management, telecommunications and radiocommunications standards-setting, unsolicited communications and cybersecurity, and online content. These areas of the ACMA’s work span jurisdictional boundaries, often making it necessary to engage with international bodies and overseas regulators to develop effective responses to the challenges they raise. The ACMA and its predecessors have been engaging with overseas organisations and in international fora for many years. However, the continued global integration of communications and media markets and services, and the disruptive impacts of digital technologies is driving the need for greater collaboration and cooperation between countries. The ACMA is one of many communications and media regulators around the world looking to maximise the social and economic benefits of digital technologies through developing best-practice responses to these challenges. International engagement is an important way the ACMA advances policies and programs that will help to reduce harms and promote outcomes in the interests of Australian business and the community. For example, the ACMA’s international engagement aims to prevent cybersecurity threats and unsolicited communications at the source country through entering bilateral and multilateral arrangements to support a safer networked environment. And, along with other international regulators, the ACMA is looking to ensure that sufficient spectrum is available to cater for the expected growth in mobile broadband services through regional and global harmonisation to foster innovation and productivity within the Australian communications sector. Through engaging with overseas regulators and other international bodies, the ACMA can learn from their experiences and enhance its own regulatory practice. In so doing, the ACMA ensures its decisions and approaches reflect world’s best practice, and as an organisation it is well positioned to respond to the pressures and demands of the evolving environment in which it operates

Five-year spectrum outlook 2015-19: the ACMA’s spectrum demand analysis and strategic direction for the next five years

The object of the ACMA’s Five-year spectrum outlook (FYSO) is to outline the fundamental issues that affect spectrum requirements and management over the next five years. It outlines the ACMA’s proposed actions to address these issues, while also highlighting the spectrum issues that could arise for radiocommunications services beyond the issue year of the FYSO. The FYSO is an annual update that assists the ACMA to improve its performance of its spectrum management functions. Stakeholders can use the FYSO to identify when the ACMA expects a particular work program to commence, and to understand the priority applied to particular activities by the ACMA. Within this context, this FYSO is provided in three parts. Part 1 articulates, at a high level, the ACMA’s decision-making framework, and how evidence informs the FYSO and the ACMA in developing its work programs. Also, within the context of the external environment, the FYSO provides an overview of the year ahead by addressing some of the significant issues that may affect spectrum management in Australia. Some of these include Australia’s preparation for the World Radiocommunication Conference in Geneva and an overview of broader communications policy initiatives, including the government’s decision to implement the three main recommendations of the Spectrum Review. A key issue will be how the outcome of the review will affect the ACMA’s spectrum management activities into the future. This part also addresses the ACMA’s response to the year ahead are by outlining some of the key tools the ACMA uses to address the demand on spectrum, such as: the spectrum research program, which is a vital element of the ACMA’s analysis of the broader spectrum management environment the importance of spectrum as an input for driving economic growth and discussion on the economics of spectrum management highlighting the ACMA’s work on the mobile broadband strategy how the current legislative basis impacts upon how the ACMA manages access to the radiofrequency spectrum outlining the planning instruments that allow the ACMA to plan and allocate radiofrequency. Finally, this part provide a list of the projects and outcomes achieved by the ACMA since the release of the 2014–18 edition. Part 2 describes the overarching framework within which the ACMA determines its key priority areas and work program for the near term. This part is aimed at providing a level of transparency to stakeholders about the pressures on spectrum, and the priorities assigned to particular spectrum management activities in response to those pressures. Key priority areas arise through four broad themes, which are informed by the ACMA’s research program and the ACMA’s work to further the government’s deregulatory agenda. The first theme—maximising the overall public benefit arising from use of spectrum— reflects the ACMA’s Principles for spectrum management. The second theme—reducing the cost to business arising from regulation—reflects the government’s deregulatory agenda. The third theme—implementing current reform priorities—recognises that the ACMA is responsible for implementing major reform priorities: for example, the review of spectrum management in Australia and implementing the outcomes of the 400 MHz band review. The final theme—ensuring the national interest—acknowledges that sometimes ongoing work programs become a key priority area because this work culminates in decisions that have far-reaching consequences for future spectrum management. Part 3 sets out the ACMA’s five-year spectrum management work plan. This section includes details on proposed commencement or completion timeframes. The intention is to provide greater clarity on what action the ACMA is taking in response to identified pressures and the timing of those actions so that stakeholders have an early opportunity to provide feedback to the ACMA on that work plan

Spend management tools and alerts: tracking consumer outcomes of the reconnecting the customer inquiry

Examines spend management tools and alerts for post-paid mobile phone consumers, and their relationship with unexpectedly high bills. Executive summary   This report details the results of research commissioned by the ACMA to examine spend management tools and alerts for post-paid mobile phone consumers, and their relationship with unexpectedly high bills.   The research, undertaken in February 2015, sampled 1,735 adults in total, including 1,020 of the target population of post-paid mobile phone bill payers.   It shows that spend management related changes to the 2012 Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code have had a positive impact for many consumers. Most consumers have welcomed the alerts system and are using a range of the spend management tools that are now available to help them manage their growing and changing use of their mobile phones, and avoid unexpectedly high bills.   The occurrence of unexpected high bills, the average amount of higher than expected bills and the incidence of very high bills have all reduced in an environment of increasing data use and increased use of other phone features.   &nbsp

The Australian internet security initiative: interviews with industry participants

Based on interviews with participants in the AISI, this report reveals how the AISI is valued and the important role it plays in how internet service providers manage malware. Executive summary The Australian Internet Security Initiative (AISI) is a program operated by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (the ACMA) to help AISI participants address the problem of computing devices that are ‘compromised’ by malware (or malicious software). Malware infections enable cyber criminals and state-sponsored actors to steal personal and sensitive information from these devices and control them remotely for illegal or harmful purposes, without the users’ knowledge. These infections often undertake activities that cause harm to other internet users, including the mass distribution of spam, hosting of phishing sites and facilitation of identity theft.   When this research was undertaken, there were 137 AISI members — including 18 universities — participating in the AISI program. These members receive daily AISI reports identifying internet protocol (IP) addresses on their networks observed as having malware infections. Members can use the information in the reports to identify the relevant customer or user with the malware infected computing device and help that customer or user to resolve the problem.   The ACMA introduced an online AISI portal in 2014 that provides access to more information on malware incidents associated with individual IP addresses than is contained in the daily  AISI email reports. AISI members can download their AISI data directly from the portal to either complement or replace the data received in the daily AISI email

The Role of the Australian Communication and Media Authority (ACMA) in GNSS Protection and Regulation

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is responsible for regulating telecommunications and radiocommunications in Australia, including promoting industry self-regulation and managing the radiofrequency spectrum. ACMA also has significant consumer protection responsibilities. ACMA was established in July 2005 under the Australian Communications and Media Authority Act 2005, and exercises powers under the Telecommunications Act 1997, the Telecommunications (Consumer Protection and Service Standards) Act 1999, the Radiocommunications Act 1992, the Spam Act 2003, and other related legislation

Premium voice services: review of the Telecommunications Service Provider (Premium Services) Determination 2004 (No. 1) - consultation paper

The Australian Communications and Media Authority is undertaking a review of the Telecommunications Service Provider (Premium Services) Determination 2004 (No. 1) (Premium Services Determination). The Premium Services Determination requires that all carriage service providers who provide access to premium services on numbers with the prefixes 1900, 1901 and 1902 that have not been barred must provide information to their customers about the risks associated with premium services and the actions they can take to lessen the risk of unexpectedly high bills. This consultation paper is being released to inform a review of the Determination to assess whether it is meeting its objectives and if the objectives are still relevant. The consultation paper canvasses three options: Option 1—allow the Determination to sunset after 10 years of operation. Option 2—revoke the Determination. Option 3—remake the Determination and update the complaints-handling arrangements. Submissions to this consultation paper will inform the ACMA’s overall assessment of the effectiveness and relevance of the current Determination. Submissions The ACMA invites written submissions on the operation of the Premium Services Determination. Submissions should be sent: By email: [email protected] By mail: Manager New Communications Issues and Safeguards Australian Communications & Media Authority PO Box 13112 Law Courts Melbourne Vic 8010 The closing date for submissions is 5.00 pm, Friday 10 May 2013. For more information about submissions, see here

Warrnambool exchange fire: consumer and social impact analysis

How can governments, communities, businesses and individuals prepare for a total communications blackout in the 21st century? Overview This report presents the findings of a research project which assessed the social impact of the Warrnambool exchange fire. The fire occurred on November 22, 2012 and caused a telecommunications outage that lasted for about 20 days. The outage affected about 100,000 people in South West Victoria, a region of Australia covering approximately 67,340 square kilometers. The social impact of the fire was researched by conducting focus groups, by gathering quantitative and qualitative data, and interviewing people affected. The research project findings call for an understanding of the need for government, communities, business and individuals to be prepared for future “extreme events” which result in telecommunications network failures.   This research was supported by a grant from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network