Key items:
>>> INTERVIEW (July 2025) - SA Regional Drive with Narelle Graham - ABC listen
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>>> RESEARCH (November 2025) - ACCAN finds price most important factor in mobile internet plan choice.
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>>> SUBMISSION (February 2026) - Proposal to make the mobile coverage mapping standard, ACCAN calls for more accurate, comparable and usable mobile coverage maps.
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>>> SUBMISSION (April 2026) - Telecommunications Legislation Amendment (Universal Outdoor Mobile Obligation) Bill 2025, ACCAN calls for UOMO to include affordability measures, apply to MNOs and MVNOs, and prioritise reliability, public safety, quality and affordability.
Affordability, Competition and Choice
Through a cost-of-living crisis, Australians need to stay connected. Faced with brutal choices - whether to pay for medicine or phone plans - Australians need savvy choices driven by strategic evidence and policy. ACCAN has the solutions.
Join Our Call
We need your help to hold telcos accountable. Share our campaign posts on your socials using the hashtag #FixTheTelcoRules, tag ACCAN and the ACMA (on Facebook, X and LinkedIn) to show your support and call for stronger consumer protections.
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Every share helps build momentum for reform.
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The cost of staying connected is rising faster than many Australians can afford. Telstra and Optus have hiked prices well above inflation, putting pressure on already stretched household budgets.
ACCAN research shows average NBN bills are $84/month - among the highest in the world. Vulnerable consumers are hurting - Nearly 1 in 3 First Nations people in Bankstown have cut back on medicine to pay telco bills. 41% have cut back on other utilities to meet bill payments. Disadvantaged people are spending disproportionally more to stay connected.
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Good consumer outcomes stem from competition, transparency, fit for purpose regulation and clear, comparable information. Inaccurate coverage maps and uncertainty for independent support resources leave many Australians, particularly in regional and remote areas, unable to make informed decisions about their services.
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ACCAN is working to strengthen competition, improve transparency and ensure all Australians can access affordable, reliable communications services no matter where they live.
What we’re calling for:
Reform coverage maps rules so telcos are providing accurate and comparable information. UNDERWAY
Requirements for providers under the legislation to offer baseline mobile plans and pre-paid services. TBD
Creation of a concessional broadband product to improve educational and economic outcomes for low-income households. TBD
Continuation of the School Student Broadband Initiative. SECURED
Provide certainty for Regional Tech Hub operation. TBD
Incentives to increase the availability of low-cost LEOSat-compatible devices, including a device distribution program for low-income customers. TBD
Establishment of a National Device Bank. TBD
Resource and expand the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman to include handling digital platforms complaints. TBD
Who we are
The Fair Call Coalition is a group of 23 consumer advocacy organisations standing together to call for stronger protections for people using phone and internet services in Australia.
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The Coalition includes organisations from across the community sector, including financial counsellors, disability advocates, regional groups, and legal centres. Together, we’re calling for stronger regulations to replace the current Code
