By Julian Leeser
Recently, with 16 colleagues from across Australia, I launched a draft private member’s bill designed to create better infrastructure, better customer service, and more accountability for telecommunications companies.
I did this because of the continued poor service in our community and the inaction of telcos to fix what is an essential service. Far too many people in our community have substandard telecommunications – no mobile reception, poor internet speeds. Our community is paying the telco bills and not getting the service they paid for.
Day after day I hear stories about poor phone and internet service and the telcos inaction in doing anything about it.
Earlier this year the campaign we ran in Berowra led to the creation of the Peri-Urban Mobile Program which is designed to address mobile blackspots in bushfire-prone communities like ours.
This new bill proposes several changes including a Universal Mobile Service Obligation, a Customer Service Guarantee and a ‘No service, No fee’ provision meaning that anyone who is without service at their home or business for more six hours between 8am and 8pm over a month gets that month of service for free.
The Bill will tie telco executive pay to improved customer service outcomes and make telcos, and their executives, financially liable for preventable deaths caused through their inaction.
It’s time the telcos dealt with the real problems that people in our electorate face every single day.
The response from the public has shown me we are on the right track and I will continue to fight for better telco service for our community.
If you’d like to comment on the exposure draft or share your telco experiences go to www.telcoreform.com.au
