{"id":"F2024L01060","name":"Telecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages Industry Standards) Direction 2024","slug":"telecommunications-customer-communications-for-outages-industry-standards-direction-2024","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":442546,"registerId":"F2024L01060-fast-fetch-1775957525107","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-12","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"Telecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages Industry Standards) Direction 2024","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\n![Commonwealth Coat of Arms of Australia](image.001.jpeg)\n\n \n\nTelecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages Industry Standards) Direction 2024\n\nI, Michelle Rowland, Minister for Communications, make the following direction.\n\nDated 21 August 2024\n\nMichelle Rowland\n\nMinister for Communications\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\nContents\n\n1  Name\n\n2  Commencement\n\n3  Authority\n\n4  Definitions\n\n5  Direction to the ACMA on customer communications\n\n6  Objectives and content of the standards\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n1  Name\n\n  This instrument is the Telecommunications (Customer Communications for Outages Industry Standards) Direction 2024.\n\n2  Commencement\n\n  This instrument commences the day after this instrument is registered.\n\n3  Authority\n\n  This instrument is made under subsection 125AA(4) of the Telecommunications Act 1997.\n\n4  Definitions\n\nNote: A number of expressions used in this instrument are defined in section 7 of the Act, including the following:\n\n1.      ACMA;\n2.      carrier;\n3.      carriage service;\n4.      carriage service provider\n5.      telecommunications network\n\n\n  In this instrument:\n\nAct means the Telecommunications Act 1997.\n\n5  Direction to the ACMA on customer communications\n\n1.     I direct the ACMA to determine a standard under subsection 125AA(1) of the Act that deals with information to be provided, or made available, by carriers and carriage service providers relating to major outages that impact a telecommunications network used to supply carriage services to end-users.\n2.     The standard required by subsection 5(1) is to:\n\n\n1.     be determined by 14 November 2024; and\n2.     commence in full at the earliest practical opportunity and no later than 31 December 2024.\n\n\n1.     I direct the ACMA to determine a standard under subsection 125AA(1) of the Act that deals with information to be provided, or made available, by carriers and carriage service providers relating to significant local outages that impact a telecommunications network used to supply carriage services to end-users.\n2.     The standard required by subsection 5(3) is to:\n\n\n1.     be determined by 30 April 2025; and\n2.     commence in full at the earliest practical opportunity and no later than 30 June 2025.\n\n\n1.     I direct that the ACMA may vary the standards required by this section as it considers necessary from time to time, provided that the standards, as varied, comply with this instrument.\n2.     The standards required by this section may:\n\n\n1.     deal with matters differently for different classes of carriers or carriage service providers;\n2.     exempt certain classes of carriers or carriage service providers from particular provisions of the standard; or\n3.     deal with matters differently for different classes of end-users.\n\n\n6  Objectives and content of the standards\n\n  Objectives of the standards\n\n1.     The standards required by section 5 are to be drafted to give effect to the following objectives, as they relate to the telecommunications activities of carriers and carriage service providers:\n\n\n1.     that communications with end-users during or in relation to a major outage or a significant local outage in a telecommunications network used to supply carriage services to end-users will:\n\n\n1.             be timely and up-to-date;\n2.             be accessible, and made through a mix of public and direct communication channels;\n3.             identify, as appropriate, methods for end-users to seek a real-time or near real-time update or assistance;\n4.             include information that the telecommunications network is subject to a major outage or a significant local outage;\n5.             include available information about the status, scale, cause, and estimated timing for rectification of the major outage or significant local outage; and\n6.             provide prompt notification when services are restored;\n\n\n1.     that carriers and carriage service providers must share information about major outages or significant local outages with other carriers, carriage service providers and relevant stakeholders to enable effective communication with end-users affected by the major outage or significant local outage; and\n2.     that carriers and carriage service providers make information about their process for communicating about major outages or significant local outages publicly available and easily accessible.\n\n\n    Content of the standards\n\n1.     The standards required by section 5 may include rules on the following matters as they relate to the telecommunications activities of carriers or carriage service providers:\n\n\n1.     requirements for carriers and carriage service providers to attempt to notify end-users, and the public, as soon as possible after the carrier or carriage service provider reasonably suspects a major outage or significant local outage is taking place;\n2.     requirements to provide timely updates to end-users, for example at relevant frequencies, during or in relation to the major outage or significant local outage;\n3.     requirements to provide accessible communications through a variety of channels, for example, the relevant carrier or carriage service provider’s website, social media, call centres, applications, email, telecommunications, television, radio and other media;\n4.     requirements to make easily accessible contact channels available, where possible, to enable end-users who require urgent assistance during a major outage or significant local outage to contact the relevant carrier or carriage service provider in real-time or near real-time;\n5.     requirements relating to the content of communications, for example, on the status, scale and cause of the major outage or significant local outage and estimated timeframes for rectification;\n6.      requirements to provide prompt notification when services are restored;\n7.     requirements for carriers and carriage service providers to share information about major outages or significant local outages with other carriers, carriage service providers and relevant stakeholders in order to enable communications with end-users affected by the major outage or significant local outage; and  \n8.     other matters that the ACMA considers give effect to the objectives set out at subsection 6(1).\n\n\n1.     In determining the standards required by section 5, the ACMA may define any terms that it considers appropriate or necessary, including terms used in this direction but not defined in section 4.\n\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument delegates the creation of outage‑communication standards to the ACMA within the existing statutory framework of the Telecommunications Act 1997 (s3, s5). It focuses on specifying communication and coordination obligations rather than altering statutory definitions or creating new categories of regulated activity, so the scope remains aligned with the instrument’s stated objectives (s6)."},"complexity_factors":["Delegation of detailed rule‑making to ACMA with broad discretion to define terms and vary standards (s5(7), s6(3))","Two distinct standards with separate deadlines and commencement windows for ‘major’ and ‘significant local’ outages (s5(1)–(6))","Permitted differential treatment and exemptions for classes of carriers, providers or end‑users, increasing tailoring and compliance variance (s5(8))","Multiple operational and content requirements (timeliness, channels, status, cause, rectification estimates, restorations, stakeholder sharing) that impose continuous procedural obligations (s6(2), s6(4))","Requirement to make communications processes publicly available and easily accessible, creating transparency and recordkeeping burdens (s6(1)(c))","Inter‑provider information‑sharing obligations, requiring coordination across networks and stakeholders (s6(1)(b), s6(2)(g))","Dependence on Act definitions (carrier, carriage service, network) requiring cross‑reference to the Telecommunications Act 1997 for scope (s4 note)","Tight statutory dates for ACMA action that may compress rule‑making and consultation timeframes (s5(2), s5(4))"],"plain_english_summary":"This Direction requires the ACMA to make industry standards telling carriers and carriage service providers how to communicate to end‑users and stakeholders about \"major\" and \"significant local\" telecommunications outages, with two deadlines and commencement windows (s5). The standards will set timing, channels, content, information‑sharing and public accessibility requirements; carriers bear the compliance cost and must change notification and coordination practices, while ACMA decides detail and may vary or exempt classes (s5, s6)."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a new instrument with no prior version to compare against. The scope aligns precisely with its stated purpose: directing the ACMA to make industry standards for customer communications during outages. The two-tier approach (major outages vs significant local outages) and the detailed objectives in section 6 reflect a comprehensive but bounded policy intent from inception."},"complexity_factors":["Short instrument: only 6 sections spanning approximately 3 pages","Minimal defined terms: only 1 explicit definition ('Act'), with 5 terms incorporated by reference from the parent Act","Simple structure: linear flow from definitions → direction → objectives → content, with no nested subsections beyond two levels","No cross-references to external legislation beyond the enabling provision (Telecommunications Act 1997, s 125AA)","Permissive rather than prescriptive: uses 'may' extensively for content, giving ACMA broad discretion rather than mandating specific technical requirements","Clear temporal deadlines: specific dates for standard-making and commencement reduce interpretive ambiguity"],"plain_english_summary":"This ministerial direction requires the ACMA to make industry standards forcing phone and internet carriers and service providers to notify and update customers quickly during major and significant local outages. Rules must mandate multi-channel, real‑time communications (what failed, scale, cause, restoration timing), information‑sharing between providers, public outage plans, and access to help, with staged deadlines for implementation.\n\nIt targets carriers, providers and end‑users to prevent repeat failures of outage communication like the 2023 Optus incident."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/telecommunications-customer-communications-for-outages-industry-standards-direction-2024","history":"/api/acts/telecommunications-customer-communications-for-outages-industry-standards-direction-2024/history","analysis":"/api/acts/telecommunications-customer-communications-for-outages-industry-standards-direction-2024/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/telecommunications-customer-communications-for-outages-industry-standards-direction-2024/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/telecommunications-customer-communications-for-outages-industry-standards-direction-2024/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/telecommunications-customer-communications-for-outages-industry-standards-direction-2024/documents"}}