Kinds of accreditation
There are two kinds of accreditation that a person can apply for:
- General Licensing Accreditation
- Specific Licensing Accreditation.
A person with a General Licensing Accreditation can issue frequency assignment certificates (FACs) for any licence type. They can also issue interference impact certificates (IICs) for spectrum licences.
A person with a Specific Licensing Accreditation can issue FACs for only one type of transmitter or receiver licence type. The licence type must be specified on the application form.
Qualifications to be an accredited person
We require you to have appropriate qualifications.
Applicants for the General Licensing Accreditation need qualifications, training or experience in electronic engineering. They also must have experience in frequency assignment and interference assignment.
Applicants for the Specific Licensing Accreditation need qualifications, training or experience in electronic engineering, relevant to the type of licence specified in their accreditation. They also need to have experience in frequency assignment and interference assignment, relevant to the specified type of licence.
How we assess qualifications or training
We consider a number of factors to decide if your skills and experience are equal to what we require.
These may include:
- the entry requirements for the course
- the level of study needed to complete the course
- the depth and level of subjects studied
- whether industry recognises the course.
How we assess equal experience
There is no minimum level of experience.
But we will consider your experience:
- in frequency assignment, for example as a frequency assigner
- as a radio communications network designer, or site manager.
You will need to provide 2 referees who can confirm your experience.
A referee must either be a peer or a superior who can confirm your work experience in radiofrequency planning and spectrum management. Preferably, this will date back 5 years from when you apply.
Indemnity insurance
You must have professional indemnity insurance to be an accredited person, unless a government body employs you.
The insurance must be for up to $2 million. It can be in your name, or your organisation's name.
If it's in your organisation's name, you can only issue certificates in your work as an accredited person under that name.
You must give us a copy of your insurance policy when you apply. When the policy is due to expire, you must send us a copy of your new certificate.
People who don't need insurance
People who are employed by government to issue certificates do not need insurance.
This means you are:
- employed by the Commonwealth or a State or Territory Government
- employed by a body corporate for a public purpose under a law of the Commonwealth or a State or Territory
- employed by a body corporate incorporated under a law of the Commonwealth or a State or Territory Government (and the government has a controlling interest)
- a member of the Australian Defence Force.
Apply to be an accredited person
To apply to be an accredited person, complete the application form.
You will need to tell us:
- your personal details
- your qualifications and experience
- representations from, and details of, 2 referees
- whether you are applying for a General Licensing Accreditation or Specific Licensing Accreditation
- if you are applying for a Specific Licensing Accreditation, the specified licence type.
Only people can apply to be an accredited person. Companies cannot apply.
Send us your application
You can email us your application.
Or, you can mail it to:
Customer Service Centre
Information and Communications Technology Branch
Australian Communications and Media Authority
PO Box 13112, Law Courts
Melbourne VIC 8010
Application fee
The application fees are:
- General Licensing Accreditation $546
- Specific Licensing Accreditation $286.
When we receive your application we will send you an invoice. You can pay by electronic funds transfer (EFT) or credit card.
We do not refund this fee if your application is unsuccessful.
When we assess your application
We will assess your application as soon as possible. We may contact you if we need more information.
We will write to you and tell you our decision.
If we refuse your application, you can ask us to review our decision.
If we accredit you, we will give you a certificate. Your certificate will show what work you can do as an accredited person.