1 Name

This instrument is the Telecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages Industry Standards) Direction 2024.

2 Commencement

This instrument commences the day after this instrument is registered.

3 Authority

This instrument is made under subsection 125AA(4) of the Telecommunications Act 1997.

4 Definitions

Note: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in section 7 of the Act, including the following:

ACMA;
carrier;
carriage service;
carriage service provider
telecommunications network

In this instrument:

Act means the Telecommunications Act 1997.

5 Direction to the ACMA on customer communications

I direct the ACMA to determine a standard under subsection 125AA(1) of the Act that deals with information to be provided, or made available, by carriers and carriage service providers relating to major outages that impact a telecommunications network used to supply carriage services to end-users.
The standard required by subsection 5(1) is to:

be determined by 14 November 2024; and
commence in full at the earliest practical opportunity and no later than 31 December 2024.

I direct the ACMA to determine a standard under subsection 125AA(1) of the Act that deals with information to be provided, or made available, by carriers and carriage service providers relating to significant local outages that impact a telecommunications network used to supply carriage services to end-users.
The standard required by subsection 5(3) is to:

be determined by 30 April 2025; and
commence in full at the earliest practical opportunity and no later than 30 June 2025.

I direct that the ACMA may vary the standards required by this section as it considers necessary from time to time, provided that the standards, as varied, comply with this instrument.
The standards required by this section may:

deal with matters differently for different classes of carriers or carriage service providers;
exempt certain classes of carriers or carriage service providers from particular provisions of the standard; or
deal with matters differently for different classes of end-users.

6 Objectives and content of the standards

Objectives of the standards

The standards required by section 5 are to be drafted to give effect to the following objectives, as they relate to the telecommunications activities of carriers and carriage service providers:

that communications with end-users during or in relation to a major outage or a significant local outage in a telecommunications network used to supply carriage services to end-users will:

be timely and up-to-date;
be accessible, and made through a mix of public and direct communication channels;
identify, as appropriate, methods for end-users to seek a real-time or near real-time update or assistance;
include information that the telecommunications network is subject to a major outage or a significant local outage;
include available information about the status, scale, cause, and estimated timing for rectification of the major outage or significant local outage; and
provide prompt notification when services are restored;

that carriers and carriage service providers must share information about major outages or significant local outages with other carriers, carriage service providers and relevant stakeholders to enable effective communication with end-users affected by the major outage or significant local outage; and
that carriers and carriage service providers make information about their process for communicating about major outages or significant local outages publicly available and easily accessible.

Content of the standards

The standards required by section 5 may include rules on the following matters as they relate to the telecommunications activities of carriers or carriage service providers:

requirements for carriers and carriage service providers to attempt to notify end-users, and the public, as soon as possible after the carrier or carriage service provider reasonably suspects a major outage or significant local outage is taking place;
requirements to provide timely updates to end-users, for example at relevant frequencies, during or in relation to the major outage or significant local outage;
requirements to provide accessible communications through a variety of channels, for example, the relevant carrier or carriage service provider’s website, social media, call centres, applications, email, telecommunications, television, radio and other media;
requirements to make easily accessible contact channels available, where possible, to enable end-users who require urgent assistance during a major outage or significant local outage to contact the relevant carrier or carriage service provider in real-time or near real-time;
requirements relating to the content of communications, for example, on the status, scale and cause of the major outage or significant local outage and estimated timeframes for rectification;
requirements to provide prompt notification when services are restored;
requirements for carriers and carriage service providers to share information about major outages or significant local outages with other carriers, carriage service providers and relevant stakeholders in order to enable communications with end-users affected by the major outage or significant local outage; and
other matters that the ACMA considers give effect to the objectives set out at subsection 6(1).

In determining the standards required by section 5, the ACMA may define any terms that it considers appropriate or necessary, including terms used in this direction but not defined in section 4.