Telcos Welcome TIO Calls To Reduce Regulatory Complexity For Better Service In Regional And Remote Australia

The Australian Telecommunications Alliance (ATA) has welcomed calls by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) for the Australian Government to reduce regulatory complexity to deliver faster, more reliable service to customers in regional and remote Australia.

In an increasingly digital and mobile-first Australia, telcos are calling on the Australian Government to reduce red tape to help the industry expedite the roll out the latest 5G, fibre and satellite telecommunications infrastructure.

The ATA, the sector’s peak body, cites industry frustration at being hamstrung by myriad, complex, inconsistent, and often duplicative regulation.

Mobile network operators are waiting 211 days on average for development applications (DAs) for new mobile infrastructure to be reviewed by local councils, and there are numerous examples where it can take between 400 and 700 days for DAs to even be considered.

The ATA raised the issue of overlapping bureaucratic processes also delaying the establishment of essential fibre routes that will strengthen the nation’s digital backbone and enhance outcomes for regional Australia.

One inter-capital fibre connection alone required more than 3,000 land access activity notices, more than 1,000 individual construction certificates, more than 1,700 land access surveys, and 171 separate cultural heritage and environmental assessments to be undertaken.

The ATA is already working on efforts to resolve the first key finding of the TIO Report, which found ‘remoteness can make everyday telco issues harder to resolve’.

The ATA and its members are working with First Nations Media Australia (FNMA) to explore options for technicians to work across sectors, with the same field techs potentially supporting customers of several different operators within a select group of First Nations communities.

“There are more than 7 million Australians living and working across more than 7 million square kilometres of regional and remote Australia. They should not be left behind as a result of cumbersome and duplicative regulatory practices,” said ATA CEO Luke Coleman.

“Telecommunications should be the priority for government efforts to improve productivity and safety for regional customers. Funds directly invested into upgrading networks and other digital infrastructure yield far higher economic and social equity returns than those used to pay for regulation, lengthy and costly planning approvals, and spectrum licences.”