Communications Alliance has welcomed the Australian and Communications Media Authority’s (ACMA’s) decision to register the revised Telecommunications Consumer Protections (TCP) Code – a new benchmark for customer service and complaint handling in the communications sector.

Communications Alliance also announced the appointment of experienced director and telco industry veteran Ms Deirdre Mason as the independent chair of Communications Compliance Ltd – the company newly created to foster and monitor industry-wide compliance with the TCP Code.

Deirdre, a former director of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO), former chief executive of the committee for Sydney and a long-time Telstra executive, responsible for consumer relations – is one of three directors appointed to Communications Compliance (CC) by the Board of Communications Alliance Ltd.

Communications Alliance chief executive John Stanton says the new TCP Code was the most comprehensive upgrade of consumer protections ever achieved in the telco sector.

“From much-improved complaint handling and customer service, the introduction of unit-pricing, stronger controls on advertising and billing content, better pre-sale information for consumers and improved credit management, through to a strong, pro-active approach to ensuring compliance, this Code heralds a sea-change in the telco consumer experience in Australia,” John says.

Mr Stanton pays tribute to the stakeholders who played an integral role in the development of the Code, including the ACMA, Minister Stephen Conroy and his Department and advisers, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), and a talented team of consumer and industry representatives from more than 20 service providers and organisations.

Communications Alliance Chair and former Federal Minister for Communications, Mr Michael Lee, will also serve on the Communications Compliance Board.

Communications Compliance will call for expressions of interest from consumer representatives to occupy the third non-executive director position on its Board. Ms Margaret Fleming will serve on the CC Board in a transitional role until the consumer-representative director is appointed. The CC Board will also search for an Executive Director to lead the day-to-day operations of the new company.

John describes the creation of CC as a landmark event in the transformation of telco industry customer service and complaint handling.

“Communications Compliance fills a vital gap in the co-regulatory framework – that of a strong independent body to verify that service providers nationwide are complying with the comprehensive and expanded set of consumer protections enshrined in the revised TCP Code.

“With founding directors of the stature and experience of Ms Mason and Mr Lee, CC is on course to play a key role in ensuring an industry-wide culture of compliance that will materially improve the service experience of telecommunications consumers across Australia – to the benefit of customers and service providers alike.

“CC is a company limited by guarantee and independent of Communications Alliance and the industry, and will benefit from direct consumer input at the Board and management levels.”

Deirdre says she was looking forward to the development of a valuable tool-kit for the industry as service providers gear up for the 1 September implementation date of the Code.

“I anticipate that Communications Compliance will be able to supply easy to use processes that simplify adherence to the new Code,” she says.

John urges all industry players who have not already undertaken training to assist them to achieve compliance with the TCP Code to do so by registering their interest http://www.commsalliance.com.au/events/Calendar/2012-Event-06 .