Telstra has entered into a court-enforceable agreement with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) after failing to comply with its priority assistance obligations.
According to the carrier’s license conditions, Telstra is required to provide priority assistance, an enhanced level of service, to customers who have a life-threatening medical condition.
The ACMA investigation revealed that Telstra failed to send priority assistance application forms and/or additional information on over 260 occasions to customers who had made contact to inquire about priority assistance.
In two instances, Telstra also failed to initiate emergency medical request procedures, which can ensure quick resolution of phone issues or provide an alternative means of communication. ACMA Chair, Nerida O’Loughlin, stated that these customers are among Telstra’s most vulnerable and the telco must have proper systems in place to ensure it meets its important obligations.
Telstra also reported an additional 740 instances where it was unable to locate records of whether priority assistance paperwork was sent. As a result, Telstra will implement new systems and increase monitoring of priority assistance requests.
