Key items:
>>> INTERVIEW (July 2025) - ‘Why taxpayers could miss out on billions of dollars’ - ABC News.
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>>> PAPER (July 2025) - World-leading economist - ‘take Spectrum to auction’: Spectrum Licence Renewals in Australia - Professor Richard Holden.
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>>> POLICY POSITION (October 2025) - Allocating spectrum in the consumer interest.
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>>> OPINION PIECE (November 2025) - The pending financial bonanza for telcos - How Optus will get a financial bonanza, even in wake of it's triple zero mistakes, ACCAN.
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>>> MEDIA RELEASE (December 2025) - ACMA announces revised proposed spectrum pricing - Consumers welcome fairer price for spectrum, ACCAN.
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>>> OECD PAPER (January 2026) - OECD analysis confirms viable mandatory infrastructure sharing - both roaming and towers.
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>>> POLICY PAPER (February 2026) - Spectrum coverage obligations - Spectrum coverage obligations, ACCAN.
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>>> CONSUMER RESEARCH (April 2026) - Over 80% of Aussies support licence conditions on telcos for spectrum - Four in five Australians support stronger licence conditions on telcos for spectrum, ACCAN.
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Spectrum
for Public Benefit
Spectrum is a finite and valuable public resource. Now that the regulator has decided it won’t auction spectrum, we need to see a fair return for consumers - this means an honest price tag and strong licence conditions.
Spectrum is a finite and valuable public resource. ACCAN is working to ensure its allocation and use by telcos provides public benefit, not just private gain for corporations.
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In 2025, ACMA announced they would be renewing upcoming expiring spectrum licences (ESLs), rather than auctioning them - as had previously occurred with previous approaches and international best practice. on current proposals, telcos are set to pay less in real terms for these new licences than they did previously.
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ACCAN supports spectrum being competitively allocated to its best and highest use - so that consumers get the most out of these finite assets.
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If spectrum isn’t auctioned consumers should see strong conditions imposed on networks so that they are obligated to deliver in the consumer interest.
What we’re calling for:
Secure a fair market-based price for spectrum via an auction, so that spectrum is put to its best and highest use and return on public resources is maximised. NOT PROGRESSING
Secure significant rework of ACMA’s flawed spectrum pricing methodology. ACHIEVED
In lieu of an auction, we need to ensure telcos have firm licence conditions following the spectrum allocation process to secure improvements in coverage, reliability and service quality. TBD
Spectrum licensees need to be held to account through mechanisms which ensure breaches of performance standards and benchmarks are enforceable. TBD
Management and allocation of available Mobile Satellite Spectrum (MSS) bands in a way that is consistent across all bands and for competition and consumer outcomes.
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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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
