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 feasibility and appeal of mobile "apps" for supporting healthy food purchasing and consumption among socioeconomically disadvantaged women: a pilot study

Aim This pilot study aimed to assess the feasibility and appeal of using existing hand-held mobile technology (iPod or iPad) ‘apps’ as tools promoting healthy food planning, shopping and eating behaviours among socioeconomically disadvantaged women. Methods Surveys were administered before and immediately after a 4-week trial of seven currently available iPod or iPad apps, each of which addressed known barriers to healthy eating among socioeconomically disadvantaged women. A convenience sample was recruited from a local community in Melbourne, Australia, comprising 19 women with a low education (fewer than 12 years of formal education) or a low income (a household income of less than $1000 per week, and/or having a pension or benefit as the main source of income). Results More than half of the sample (n = 11, 61%) used most apps at least weekly over the study period. Few found any of the apps complex or difficult to use, and most (n = 14) reported that they would use their preferred apps again. Features liked included portability, simplicity, user-friendliness, and novelty/new knowledge provided by certain apps; less appealing features included requirements for time-consuming data entry and inability to access features offline. Conclusions Selected iPod and iPad apps are useable and appealing to socioeconomically disadvantaged women. Particular features of apps, including simplicity of use and providing seasonal information, appear helpful in assisting women to plan, shop and consume healthy foods. So what? This study demonstrates a promising approach for reaching and engaging socioeconomically disadvantaged target populations in healthy eating, through the use of mobile apps. Further research establishing the effectiveness of these apps in promoting healthy food planning, shopping and eating behaviours is now warranted

Regulatory axes on food advertising to children on television

This article describes and evaluates some of the criteria on the basis of which food advertising to children on television could be regulated, including controls that revolve around the type of television programme, the type of product, the target audience and the time of day. Each of these criteria potentially functions as a conceptual device or "axis" around which regulation rotates. The article considers examples from a variety of jurisdictions around the world, including Sweden and Quebec. The article argues that restrictions centring on the time of day when a substantial proportion of children are expected to be watching television are likely to be the easiest for consumers to understand, and the most effective in limiting children's exposure to advertising