96/07
Tuesday 17 July 2007

Pull Your Socks Up: Coonan to Premium Services Industry

The Minister for Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, Senator Helen Coonan today announced that she would work with industry to better protect and inform consumers about mobile telephone premium service offerings from providers.

Premium services are things such as ringtones, wallpapers or video clips that consumers can request via their mobile phone.

“Whilst there are many service providers that are doing the right thing by consumers, it would appear that there are some that could pull their socks up,” Senator Coonan told the Australian Mobile Telephone Association annual conference today.

“I recognise that there are some consumers, particularly young people, who are still getting into difficulties regarding their use of mobile premium services,” Senator Coonan said.

In 2004, the Government directed the regulator, now the Australian Communications and Media Authority, to develop controls on access to content supplied via mobile phones, whether that content was supplied as a premium rate service or on proprietary content portals or ‘walled gardens’.

In addition, industry developed the Mobile Premium Services Industry Scheme, which came into force in October last year. This scheme is due to be reviewed by the end of October this year.

“I will be seeking to take an active role in this review to ensure that the premium services scheme is addressing the concerns of the wider community and I will be writing to both ACMA and the Communications Alliance shortly,” said Coonan said.

“Whilst industry is to be congratulated for the measures it has taken to date, I am keen to work with industry to ensure that all consumers all fully informed of their rights and know what they are signing up for when they request a premium service.”

The Howard Government’s strong involvement in ensuring that consumers’ basic rights are protected stands in stark contrast to the position of Labor.

“Labor has only one thing to say on telecommunications and even then, the only detail that has been published is a single press release,” Senator Coonan said.

“This is typical of the cynical, focus group driven style of politics of Mr Rudd.”

“Yet again, Labor has been found wanting when it comes to the detail of their policies, instead preferring to announce summits, committees and never ending reviews in a charade to give the appearance of real policy.

“At the end of the day, the Australian people will see through this facade and will want to see some real policy behind the spin,” Senator Coonan said.