Reconnecting the customer

How you can contribute to the inquiry

The ACMA will adopt an evidence-informed approach to test concerns about the customer service and complaint-handling practices of the telecommunications industry, including canvassing the views of industry and consumers. The ACMA will also have regard to relevant experiences in other market sectors and other jurisdictions, and to best practice standards.

As a first step, the ACMA is issuing a consultation paper (PDF or Word formats) and seeking submissions from all interested stakeholders to include as part of the inquiry. To assist contributors, the paper provides an overview of the telecommunications industry, the current regulatory regime and relevant TIO complaint statistics.

The paper also poses a series of questions which may assist interested parties structure their contributions.

View the consultation document (PDF or Word formats). 

What to include in your submission

The ACMA welcomes contributions of all kinds and in any format. In particular the ACMA would like to hear from representative consumer organisations, industry participants, regulators and interested members of the public.

Please note, however, that under the inquiry terms of reference (PDF or Word formats) the ACMA can only consider common, or ‘systemic’, problems, rather than individual problems with telecommunications service providers.

The findings of the inquiry must be supported by relevant evidence, so it would be helpful if you can explain your reasoning and provide appropriate supporting evidence in your submission.

How to lodge your submission

The ACMA will receive submissions to the inquiry in any format, and wherever will assist contributors to lodge a submission. However, written submissions are preferred, and may be lodged via email or post. If you need assistance to lodge your submission please contact the Inquiry Secretariat via the hotline

The closing date for submissions was 5:00pm, Friday, 10 September 2010.

Electronic submissions should be emailed to: reconnectingthecustomer@acma.gov.au

Alternatively, submissions can be sent by mail to:

Manager, Public Inquiry Section
Australian Communications and Media Authority
PO Box 13112, Law Courts,
Melbourne Victoria 8010

Next steps

During the submission period, the ACMA will also separately gather evidence and conduct research. Once the ACMA has considered the available submissions, evidence and research, it proposes to publish a discussion paper on its findings. It is likely that the ACMA will then convene a series of hearings or workshops for further input prior to completing its final report.