Court threat looms over local ISPs - News - Communications

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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Court threat looms over local ISPs

By Vivienne Fisher, ZDNet Australia
March 14, 2002
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/Court-threat-looms-over-local-ISPs/0,130061791,120264034,00.htm

With customer complaints repeatedly unanswered and lack of cooperation with telcommunications regulatory watchdogs, two local ISPs have been given 14 days to explain their lack of action.

The Australian Communications Authority (ACA) plans to write to Australis Internet Pty Ltd and Internet TV Australia (trading as Free2air), asking them to comply with requests to explain customer complaints and issuing them with a warning to comply within 14 days, according to John Neil, executive manager of the consumer affairs group at the ACA.

-If they fail to comply within 14 days we'll consider taking it to the Federal Court to get them to comply," Neil said.

ISPs are obliged under the Telecommunications Act to join and comply with the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) scheme. This includes cooperating with the TIO in the resolution of customer complaints.

A spokesperson from the TIO said it didn't refer companies to the ACA unless it had been a clear case of them not cooperating.

She said neither Australis Internet nor Internet TV Australia had complied with the TIO's requests for explanations about complaints the Ombudsman had raised with the companies on behalf of consumers.

-Our general process is we go to the company with the details and request a explanation, and we haven't been getting responses from either of the companies," the TIO spokesperson said.

Despite calls from ZDNet Australia, a spokesperson from Australis Internet did not return calls by press time. Internet TV Australia was unable to be reached for comment.