Hi Petition Signers,

Now over 6,000 Signatures!

Please keep sharing this Petition and the video Hugh Jeffreys made about this issue!
I'm hoping that the Media and other outlets also cover this story so more people are made aware, but it remains to be seen.

Late last week the Public Consultation Submissions for the ACMA's draft blocking changes were published (on 11 Sep). (Submissions Closed Tuesday 8 Oct)

ACMA - Proposal to amend the ECS Determination - Submissions
https://www.acma.gov.au/consultations/2024-09/proposal-amend-ecs-determination

There were a number of submissions from the public regarding the draft changes, many with concerns and some good ideas suggested that strike a fairer balance.

A big thank you to those you wrote to the ACMA!

Within the Submissions the telcos even admit they don't really know if Emergency Calling will always work, especially for devices they didn't test or sell.

They are just making assumptions based on Device Model Numbers (IMEI/TAC) and other broad metrics!

It seems the Minister & Government want absolute certainty that only devices guaranteed to work for Emergency Calling should be allowed to connect. 

The industry can't currently provide that certainty. The poor standardisation of VoLTE globally greatly complicates this further. (As pointed out in 2022 by the EENA)

To have any certainty it would necessitate Whitelists of 'known compatible' devices (i.e. devices sold or tested by telcos only).

However even that approach is flawed if there is no publicly available 'emergency call' test process or system to validate the capabilities of any device in use.

It is currently possible to test many Android devices for VoLTE Emergency Calling support, but it requires making a real Emergency call.

How to Test for 4G Emergency Calling Support on Android
https://medium.com/@jamesdwho/the-little-known-problems-with-volte-emergency-calling-3d4cdaf0e042

It's quite telling that the Telcos have hidden the estimated number of affected customers in separate 'Commercial in Confidence' documents rather than being transparent about the scale of the issue.

Hopefully those numbers are big enough that the ACMA and the Minister think twice about this.

They've opened an absolutely massive can-of-worms of both harms and unintended consequences.

The industry's inability to manage this for years has led us to this position and the Regulators, Government & Media have failed to hold them accountable!

I warned the Government about the unintended consequences of the shutdown over 16 months ago!

I've been easy to ignore and my concerns quickly dismissed as I'm just one person with an IT & Networking Background.

Over the past year the telcos have been downplaying the issues and assuring the Government everything will be fine, when that can't be further from the truth.

This is why it's so important that you also voice your concerns!

Telstra is ready to go with device model (IMEI/TAC) Blocklists on their network, which would mean no service at all for '000 affected devices'. (Not even for Tourists!)

With custom roms and software changes you can actually fix many devices with these issues, all of those would be blocked regardless.

Telstra said they would rather just block phone service, and leave Data & SMS, but may be forced to block all services regardless.

Blocking devices is to do nothing but sweep the problem under the rug!

We may also see the Minister and regulators insist that only 'known compatible' devices are allowed to be used (i.e whitelists of telco sold & tested devices). 

That would be very unpopular with a lot of backlash.

Ultimately the ACMA can only do what they've been instructed to do by the Minister. The Minister needs to issue the ACMA with a new direction that strikes the right balance.

With the Shutdown due in a little more than a week, it's more important than ever that you write to the Minister to complain about these changes and the Shutdown!

Communications Minister Contact

It's now been a Month since I contacted the Minister regarding my concerns with this policy and I still have not received a response! (Contacted 20 September 2024 through the office of a 3G Committee Senator)

If you've been notified your device is going to be blocked please also complain to the ACCC & TIO. They can only act on complaints, if no-one complains then nothing will change! Please also contact your Local MP & Senators!

ACCC - Report a Consumer Issue

Please also send me copies of the telco messages & any responses you receive, contact details are on my Medium profile.

The 3G Inquiry Senate Committee has also extended their reporting date from November to February, so they can keep an eye on things. I'm sure they will be interested to hear about what's going on.

A country as small as Australia should not be leading this change but following it!

Shutting down the network will only prioritise commercial interests over the public interest, endanger lives, harm competition, and undermine essential communication.

There will be far reaching consequences once the 3G networks are gone. 
It remains to be seen if the Minister will act and make the right choice.

Thanks for your interest and support with this.

James