ITWire

He cited the case of one company (not a telco) that had paid a penalty of $1.25m for "advertising that contained fundamental information in the fine print of a catalogue which contradicted the advertisements key message."

This is the third time that TPG has fallen foul of the ACCC over its advertising, and this latest incident will to nothing to encourage the ACMA to accept the latest version of Communications Alliance's Telecommunications Consumer Protection code, which it is now assessing. The industry is nervously awaiting the ACMA's decision on whether to accept it or impose its own regulations.

Last November the Federal Court in Melbourne found advertisements for TPG's $29.99 Unlimited ADSL2+ campaign to be false and misleading because they represented that consumers could acquire the broadband service for $29.99 per month without acquiring any additional service or paying any additional monthly charge.

Earlier TPG advertisements were also found to be misleading because they did not disclose the obligation to pay additional up front charges including a $129.95 set up fee and a $20 home phone deposit. An ACCC spokesman told iTWire today that the court had yet to rule on what penalties should be imposed on TPG.

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