The Private Member’s Bill by Federal Member for Berowra Julian Leeser could make it illegal for a telco to leave a customer on hold for more than five minutes.
It will also make telcos legally obligated to provide fair mobile reception and 3G or better internet in a home or workplace, no matter how remote the building is.
Mr Leeser has battled for years with telcos in his Sydney electorate.
“We’ve got kids studying who can’t connect with teachers because their internet doesn’t work, teachers are presenting online classes from the McDonald’s car park because they can’t get reception at home,” he said.
“Telecommunication is an essential service people rely on but for many people, the telco service is worse today than it was 20 years ago.”
The Bill is supported by 17 other government MPs, including Federal Member for Nicholls Damian Drum.
“Stories about poor coverage and a lack of urgency in addressing issues by telco companies are far too frequent and, put simply, there just isn’t enough accountability,” Mr Drum said.
“Not a week goes by where my office isn’t contacted by a Nicholls resident needing help in getting their telecommunications problems addressed and resolved.”
The Bill proposes anyone who goes without service at their home or business for more than six hours between 8am and 8pm should get a month of free service.
The Bill will also crack down on telcos selling a service and assuring customers it covers their area, when in fact voice calls don’t connect reliably inside the house and internet doesn’t cover the majority of the rooms.
The draft of the Telecommunications Reform (Telstra, NBN and other Providers) Bill 2021 can be found at: julianleeser.com.au/telco-reform
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