EXPLANATORY STATEMENT
Issued by the authority of the Australian Communications & Media Authority
TELECOMMUNICATIONS (DATE OF IMPOSITION OF CHARGE) DETERMINATION 2007
Telecommunications (Numbering Charges) Act 1997
Statutory basis
Subsection 18 (1) of the Telecommunications (Numbering Charges) Act 1997 (the Act) provides that if a carriage service provider (CSP) holds an allocated number at the beginning of a day determined by the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA), an annual numbering charge is imposed on that number. Under subsections 18 (2) and (3) of the Act, before 16 February each year, ACMA is required to determine in writing a day in April on which annual numbering charges are imposed.
Purpose
The Telecommunications (Date of Imposition of Charge) Determination 2007 sets the day on which annual numbering charges are imposed in 2007.
Background
The Commonwealth Government has directed ACMA to collect a set amount of revenue each year from CSPs that hold telephone numbers. ACMA collects this revenue through the annual numbering charge process.
ACMA collects annual numbering charges in accordance with the provisions of the Telecommunications Act 1997, the Telecommunications (Numbering Charges) Act 1997, and determinations made by ACMA under those statutes.
The Office of Regulation Review (ORR) has advised that a Regulation Impact Statement is not required for this determination (ORR reference: 8752). No public consultation was undertaken under section 17 of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003 because the changes from the previous determination are minor and machinery in nature and do not substantially alter existing arrangements.
NOTES ON SECTIONS
Section 1 – Name of Determination
This section provides that the Determination may be cited as the Telecommunications (Date of Imposition of Charge) Determination 2007.
Section 2 – Commencement
This section provides that the Determination commences on the day after it is registered.
Section 3 – Definition
This section defines the meaning of UTC to mean Co-ordinated Universal Time as maintained by the Chief Metrologist.
Section 4 – Date of imposition of charge
This section specifies 1 April 2007 as the date determined for subsection 18 (2) of the Telecommunications (Numbering Charges) Act 1997.
This section also specifies that the day determined under subsection 18 (2) of the Telecommunications (Numbering Charges) Act 1997 will be calculated with reference to Co-ordinated Universal Time (UTC). UTC has been used in order to prevent any discrepancy with the database used to record allocations of freephone and local rate numbers.