Peter Dinham
Sunday, 23 August 2009 16:14
IT Policy -
Regulation
Page 1 of 2
Inconsistent and unsatisfactory consent requirements are prevalent in telecommunications laws and industry codes of conduct, despite consent being an essential part of contract formation, subscription services and the use of customer information in Australia’s communications industry.
A new industry watchdog - the Australian Communications Consumer Action
Network (ACCAN) – says its recent research highlights the fact that
there are flaws in obtaining consent in the Australian communications
industry, despite the fact that the “collection of informed consent
from consumers is a key requirement in the communications sector.”
According to the CEO of ACCAN, Allan Asher, the research has found that
that “inconsistent and unsatisfactory consent requirements are
scattered throughout a mix of telecommunication laws and industry codes
of conduct,” and, he claims, in many key cases consent requirements are
absent entirely.
“The collection of informed consent from consumers is a key requirement
in the communications sector. Consent is essential for contract
formation, subscription services and the use of customer information.
Asher claimed that ACCAN’s research found that regulators, complaints
schemes and community organisations are receiving “over 40,000 consent
complaints each year regarding communications companies,” which he said
was “unsustainable and urgent action is required to improve industry
practice and protect consumers.
“When we looked at examples of industry practice, we were shocked to
see that information provided to consumers regarding communications
products – such as mobile phone and Internet subscriptions – ranged
from zero information right through to 57 pages of detailed legal
jargon.”
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