ACMA Moves to Protect Vulnerable Telco Consumers

ACMA Moves to Protect Vulnerable Telco Consumers

Protections for telco consumers facing domestic and family violence will be a strong focus for the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) over the next 12 months, with the regulator cracking down on telcos that fail to meet their obligations under new industry rules.

The ACMA’s 2025–26 compliance and enforcement priorities, which also include tackling mobile number fraud and supporting a reliable emergency call network, reflect the ACMA’s commitment to holding businesses to account for providing safe and accessible services to their customers.

ACMA Chairperson Nerida O’Loughlin said under new rules commencing on July 1, telcos will be required to do more to support victim-survivors of domestic and family violence, including reconnecting affected customers to their telco services and not requiring an affected person to interact with an alleged perpetrator.

“Domestic violence and family violence causes significant harm across our communities, and access to telco services is a lifeline for those seeking safety and security,” O’Loughlin said.

“We are committed to using our regulatory powers to hold telco providers accountable and ensure they meet their legal responsibilities to keep affected individuals safe and connected,” she added.

The ACMA will also continue its focus on new and updated obligations on industry in relation to the emergency call service, including conducting audits of industry compliance.
“When they are at their most vulnerable, people need to be able to reach emergency help on the Triple Zero service, even if a telco’s network has experienced an outage,” O’Loughlin continued.

“We will be closely monitoring industry compliance with these new rules, which support the most fundamental requirement that people should be able to connect to emergency services at all times.”

The full list of the 2025–26 ACMA annual compliance and enforcement priorities is:

  • TV prominence – working with device manufacturers and broadcasters to implement the new framework that supports improved access to free-to-air TV services for Australian audiences.

  • Tackling the supply of dodgy devices on e-commerce platforms and working with the platforms to implement a new Equipment Safety Product Pledge.

  • Mobile number fraud by monitoring whether telcos are complying with rules directed at fraud prevention and taking strong enforcement action when we find non-compliance.

  • Compliance with triple zero and public safety requirements including during major outages so consumers can be confident they can connect to Triple Zero when they need it most and are informed when networks experience unplanned outages.

  • Enforcing new rules to support telco consumers affected by domestic and family violence by undertaking monitoring, compliance and enforcement activities that will ensure telcos provide the critical information and enhanced support affected customers need.

The ACMA has previously announced three enduring compliance and enforcement priorities that operate alongside its annual priorities. These are matters where the ACMA has a long-term focus, considering the significant and ongoing harm to the Australian community that can result from industry non-compliance.

The three areas that are always a priority for the ACMA are:

  • Protecting vulnerable telco customers with ongoing work focussed on compliance with telco complaint handling rules on which customers, particularly vulnerable customers, rely.

  • Minimising gambling harms actively enforcing the rules for BetStop – the National Self-Exclusion Register and taking action to further disrupt illegal wagering providers that target Australians.

  • Combating spam and telco scams with a focus on persistent unwanted spam or telemarketing and escalating our approach to businesses that do not respond to compliance alerts and early warnings from the ACMA.

The ACMA’s compliance priorities were informed by submissions made through a public consultation process.

The ACMA has also released its Summary of Outcomes: Compliance Priorities 2024–25 report, which sets out the ACMA’s actions and outcomes against its priorities for the last year.




Source link