FCVic has provided a submission to ACMA on telecommunications network outages, addressing three key consultations: emergency call services during outages, customer communications, and consumer complaints handling.

The submission advocates for a broader definition of “significant local outage” to include metropolitan areas, improved information sharing with emergency services, and stronger public communication obligations for telcos.

FCVic also calls for better consumer rights protections, including allowing complaints about network outages caused by natural disasters, refining definitions of financial hardship, and ensuring adequate staff training.

Additionally, the submission highlights concerns about battery backup for telco infrastructure and urges ACMA to support enhanced power restoration prioritisation for telecommunications assets.