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WIA responds to the government’s proposals for a new act
Date :
30 /
04 /
2016
Author :
Roger Harrison - VK2ZRH
Back in March, the Minister for Communications, Senator the Hon Mitch Fifield, released a consultation paper on legislative proposals for a new radiocommunications act, during his speech at the ACMA's RadComms 2016 Conference in Sydney.
The Minister said, "Australia’s current framework has been in place since 1992. At the time, it led the world . . . but the communications landscape has now changed dramatically . . . the Government’s Spectrum Review – released in May last year – found that the existing framework is slow, rigid and administratively cumbersome."
Senator Fifield went on to explain that "A new Radiocommunications Bill will modernise our regime, and allow industry greater scope to respond quickly in the market to emerging technologies and services."
The government sought comment from stakeholders by 29 April 2016.
See the WIA news release of 11 March 2014 here. Link
The consultation paper set out 19 topics for specific comment, ranging across the objects and span of a new act, the roles of the Minister and the ACMA, radiofrequency planning, licensing of spectrum, the purpose of licences and rights, interference, equipment regulation, compliance and enforcement, user involvement (band or service managers), broadcasting, and transitional arrangements for moving between the current and new legislation. Pricing of spectrum or cost of licences were not part of the consultation paper.
The WIA’s response was developed over March and April and lodged with the Department of Communications on 29 April, as required.
The Department of Communications will consider the submissions from all stakeholders and develop an "exposure draft" of the new Radiocommunications Bill. No timetable has been advised of when the exposure draft will be released.
A copy of the WIA’s submission can be downloaded below.
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