explanatory statement
Issued by the Australian Communications and Media Authority
Telecommunications Act 1997
Telecommunications Technical Standard (Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 1: General Requirements – AS/NZS 60950.1:2003 (Incorporating Amendment Nos. 1, 2 and 3)) 2008
Purpose
The purpose of the Telecommunications Technical Standard (Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 1: General Requirements – AS/NZS 60950.1:2003 (Incorporating Amendment Nos. 1, 2 and 3)) 2008 (the Technical Standard) is to mandate an amended industry technical standard in relation to specified customer equipment.
Legislative Provisions
Subsection 376(1) of the Telecommunications Act 1997 (the Act) allows the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to make a technical standard relating to specified customer equipment (CE) and customer cabling (CC). This technical standard relates to specified CE.
A technical standard made under section 376 can only consist of such requirements as are necessary or convenient for:
- protecting the integrity of a telecommunications network or facility;
- protecting the health and safety of persons who are likely to be affected by the operation of the network or facility to which the equipment or cabling is connected;
- ensuring equipment can be used to give access to an emergency call service;
- ensuring interoperability of equipment with a network facility used to provide the standard telephone service; or
- achieving an objective specified in the regulations.
The Act at section 377 provides that in making a technical standard, ACMA may apply, adopt or incorporate any matter contained in a standard proposed or approved by any other body or association.
The Act also authorises ACMA to make an arrangement with certain external bodies and associations for the preparation and publication of a draft standard and to undertake public consultation on the draft standard on behalf of ACMA (subsection 378 (2)).
Background
The telecommunications regulatory arrangements for CE and CC require each supplier to apply a compliance label to its product prior to supply to the market. Compliance is determined against technical standards made under section 376 of the Act and which are referred to in the Telecommunications Labelling (Customer Equipment and Customer Cabling) Notice 2001 (the Labelling Notice).
ACMA practice is to adopt in their entirety industry telecommunications technical standards developed by Communications Alliance[1] or Standards Australia. Communications Alliance has accreditation as a Standard Development Organisation from Standards Australia. ACMA currently has a Memorandum of Understanding with Communications Alliance under which they are responsible for the development and revision of industry telecommunications technical standards.
The amended industry technical standard which the Technical Standard mandates prescribes the general safety requirements for information technology equipment connected to a telecommunications network.
Through its inclusion in the Labelling Notice, the Technical Standard will replace the existing technical standard Telecommunications Technical Standard (Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 1: General Requirements – AS/NZS 60950.1:2003) 2005.
When the current version of this industry technical standard was made, it was identified that set top boxes (STBs) with telecommunications network ports could not comply with all requirements. Discussion with the relevant Standards Australia working committee identified an inadequacy in the standard as it applied to STBs and the committee proceeded to produce an amendment to resolve this inadequacy.
At the same time ACMA extended the expiry date of the previous version of the industry technical standard (AS/NZS 60950:2000) for STBs via an amendment to the Labelling Notice while an amendment to the standard was being developed by Standards Australia.
Operation
The Technical Standard gives effect to the amended industry technical standard that prescribes the general safety requirements for information technology equipment connected to a telecommunications network, including STB’s for digital television reception that incorporate features that rely on connection to the telecommunications network. This allows STBs that feature a telecommunications port to be supplied by subscription television service providers.
The amended industry technical standard makes a number of changes to the previous industry technical standard. These changes are:
AS/NZS 60950.1:2003/Amdt 1:2006
This amendment provides a typographical correction to a measurement equation.
AS/NZS 60950.1:2003/Amdt 2:2008
This amendment specifies requirements for a stability test for display devices used for television purposes that are contained in a related industry safety standard AS/NZS 60065:2003 Audio, video and similar electronic apparatus - Safety requirements. As convergence of telecommunications, IT and home entertainment equipment increases, these requirements are becoming more relevant to telecommunications standards.
AS/NZS 60950.1:2003/Amdt 3:2008
This amendment aligns the requirements within the telecommunications safety standard with those within AS/NZS 60065:2003 for STBs. Without this amendment, STBs with telecommunications ports cannot comply with particular requirements in the current version of the industry technical standard.
Consultation
Section 378 of the Act requires ACMA to ensure, so far as practicable, that interested persons have an adequate opportunity (of at least 60 days) to make representations on a proposed technical standard and that due consideration be given to any representation before ACMA makes the standard. This section is consistent with the consultation requirements arising from section 17 of the Legislative Instruments Act 2003.
The amended industry technical standard was prepared by the Standards Australia Safety of Electronic Equipment working committee, TE-001. This working committee comprises a wide range of industry representatives and includes carriers, carriage service providers, equipment manufacturers and importers, consumer groups and test houses.
A draft version of the amendments to the industry standard were made available for public comment for a period of over 60 days, which meets the requirements for consultation under section 378 of the Act.
Copies of the draft amendments to the industry standard were sent to members of Standards Australia working committee TE-001 and Communications Alliance Customer Equipment and Cable Reference Panel (CECRP).
The draft amendments were also promoted through an advertisement in the Standards Australia monthly magazine and advertised on the SAI-Global website and through Communications Alliance committees.
Further, copies of the draft amendments were sent to interested parties who contacted Standards Australia or Communications Alliance. Only one public comment was received by Communications Alliance and this was editorial only.
Regulation Impact
ACMA has appointed a Best Practice Regulation Coordinator to make representations for the Office of Best Practice Regulation. The coordinator has advised that the making of the Technical Standard does not impose any substantial additional regulatory burden on manufacturers and importers of CE and accordingly a Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) is not required. The ACMA RIS exemption identifier is ACMA 041.
Documents Incorporated in this Instrument by Reference
The Technical Standard incorporates the industry standard AS/ANZS 60950.1:2003 (Incorporating Amendment Nos. 1, 2 and 3) Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 1: General Requirements by reference.
This consolidated standard is available for purchase or the separate amendments are available for free download from the Standards Australia website .
Detailed Description of the Instrument
Details of the Technical Standard are at Attachment A.
ATTACHMENT A
NOTES ON SECTIONS
Section 1 - Name of Technical Standard
This section identifies the name of the Technical Standard as the Telecommunications Technical Standard (Information Technology Equipment – Safety, Part 1: General Requirements – AS/NZS 60950.1:2003 (Incorporating Amendment Nos. 1, 2 and 3)) 2008.
This section also notes that the technical standard may be cited as AS/NZS 60950.1 – 2003 (Incorporating Amendment Nos. 1, 2 and 3).
Section 2 - Commencement
This section provides for the Technical Standard to commence on the day after it is registered.
Section 3 - Objects of Technical Standard
This section sets out the objects of the Technical Standard. These objects are consistent with matters that may be incorporated into a standard as provided by subsection 376(2) of the Act.
Section 4 - Definitions
This section defines the following terms which are not defined in the Act:
- AS/NZS standard
- information technology equipment
Section 5 - Application of Technical Standard
This section identifies the scope of application of the Technical Standard. It applies to customer equipment that is designed or intended for connection to a telecommunications network and information technology equipment designed to use the AC mains supply as a telecommunications transmission medium.
Section 6 - Standard for Customer Equipment
This section provides that the equipment referred to in section 5 must comply with the standard AS/NZS 60950.1:2003 (Incorporating Amendment Nos. 1, 2 and 3).
[1] Communications Alliance (formerly ACIF) is an industry owned, operated and resourced company established in 1997 by the telecommunications industry to implement and manage self-regulation within Australia. Communications Alliance provides a neutral forum in which all participants and end-users in the Australian communications industry can work together to foster an efficient and competitive environment through self-regulatory processes, technical codes and standards.