The government’s decision to make Do Not Call registrations indefinite has received plaudits from the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN).
As part of the government’s deregulation agenda, Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has announced a move to a one-time signup system for the Do Not Call Register. Before, consumers had to remember to renew their registration every eight years.
The government has estimated the change will save consumers $6.9 million. The cost comes from informing consumers of the need to re-register and the time taken to do this.
The Do Not Call list has about 9 million registered numbers. On average, 1 million are added every year.
However, research by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has shown that only 25 per cent of consumers are aware they need to re-register.
“The preference of the majority of Australians to not be contacted by telemarketers is evident in the high number of registrations,” said ACCAN CEO Teresa Corbin.
“Telemarketing calls tie up valuable resources and can occur at very inconvenient times, such as during the middle of dinner.”
Adam Bender covers telco and enterprise tech issues for Computerworld and is the author of dystopian sci-fi novels We, The Watched and Divided We Fall. Follow him on Twitter: @WatchAdam
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