explanatory statement
Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for customer cabling products — AS/ACIF S008:2006) 2006
Issued by the Authority of the Australian Communications and Media Authority
Legislative Provisions
On 22 June 2006 the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) made the Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for customer cabling products — AS/ACIF S008:2006) 2006 (the Technical Standard) under section 376 of the Telecommunications Act 1997 (the Act). Section 376 of the Act provides that ACMA may make technical standards relating to specified telecommunications customer equipment (CE) and customer cabling (CC).
The Technical Standard makes it mandatory for suppliers of specified CC and related CE to comply with the Australian Standard/Australian Communications Industry Forum Standard — AS/ACIF S008:2006) 2006 Requirements for customer cabling products (AS/ACIF S008:2006).
Background
The telecommunications regulatory arrangement for CE and CC requires each supplier to apply a compliance label to its product. The compliance label must indicate that the CE or CC complies with technical standards made under section 376 of the Act. The Telecommunications Labelling (Customer Equipment and Customer Cabling) Notice 2001 (the Labelling Notice) made under section 407 of the Act specifies the standards that apply to particular items of CE and CC.
Technical standards made under section 376 of the Act can only consist of such requirements as are necessary or convenient for:
- protecting the integrity of a telecommunications network or facility;
- protecting the health or safety of persons who may 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 (no regulations have been made to date).
The Act further 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. ACMA practice is to adopt in their entirety telecommunications technical standards developed by industry. This is consistent with the practice of predecessor organisations.
The Australian Communications and Industry Forum (ACIF)[1] have accreditation as a standard making organisation from Standards Australia. ACMA currently has a Memorandum of Understanding with ACIF under which ACIF is responsible for the development and revision of industry telecommunications technical standards.
The Labelling Notice and the appropriate section 376 technical standards are major components of the telecommunications regulatory arrangements and help to ensure the integrity, safety and continued availability of telecommunications networks within Australia.
Intended impact and effect
This Technical Standard defines the requirements for CC and related customer equipment for connection to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN).
This Technical Standard gives effect to the industry standard Requirements for cabling products — AS/ACIF S008:2006 (AS/ACIF S008:2006). ACMA has incorporated it in the Labelling Notice to replace the existing technical standard Telecommunications (Requirements for authorised cabling products — AS/ACIF S008-2001) Technical Standard 2001 after an overlap period of twenty-four months.
This Technical Standard does not essentially increase the impact on manufacturers and importers of CE and CC as its technical requirements do not greatly differ or are any more onerous from those in the existing standard.
Consultation
Section 378 of the Act requires ACMA to ensure, so far as practicable, that interested persons have an opportunity to comment on a proposed technical standard and that due consideration be given to any comments before ACMA makes the standard. AS/ACIF S008:2006 was prepared by an ACIF working committee comprising industry representatives including carriers, manufacturers, importers and test houses.
A draft of AS/ACIF S008:2006 was made available for public comment for a period of 62 days, from 11 October 2005 to 12 December 2005.
A draft of AS/ACIF S008:2006 was distributed to industry through the ACIF Customer Equipment and Cable Reference Panel (CECRP), the ACIF working committee and additionally promoted through an advertisement in a national newspaper and an electronic public e-mail based facility dedicated to communications. The CECRP consists of telecommunications sector representatives including carriers, carriage service providers, importers, manufacturers and representative of disability and consumer groups.
A copy of the draft standard was also available for free download on the ACIF website during that period and copies were sent directly to interested parties on request. In total fifteen sets of public comments were received by ACIF.
The Office of Regulation Review (ORR) has advised that the making of the technical standard does not impose a substantial additional regulatory burden on manufacturers and importers of CE. As such a Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) is not required. The ORR RIS exemption ID number is 8181.
Other Documents Incorporated in this Instrument by Reference
The Technical Standard incorporates AS/ACIF S008:2006 by requiring applicable CC and related CE to comply with it. AS/ACIF S008:2006 is free to download from ACIF’s website (http://www.acif.org.au). The Labelling Notice is available from the ACMA website at www.acma.gov.au.
Detailed Description of the Amendment Instrument
Details of the Amendment Instrument are in Attachment 1.
ATTACHMENT 1
Notes on the instrument
Section 1—Name of Technical Standard
This section provides the name and citation for the Technical Standard as Telecommunications Technical Standard (Requirements for customer cabling products — AS/ACIF S008:2006) 2006.
Section 2—Commencement
This section provides that the Technical Standard commences on the day after it is registered.
Section 3—Objects of Technical Standard
This section sets out the broad 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 provides definitions for the instrument. It defines the AS/ACIF standard as the industry standard AS/ACIF S008:2006 Requirements for customer cabling products published by ACIF and Standards Australia in April 2006.
Section 5—Application of Technical Standard
This section identifies the scope of the standard. It specifies that the standard is to apply to CC and related CE intended for connection to the public switched telephone network.
Section 6—Standard for customer cabling and related customer equipment
This section provides that CC and related CE referred to in section 5 must comply with the AS/ACIF S008 standard.
[1] ACIF is an industry owned, operated and resourced company established in 1997 by the telecommunications industry to implement and manage self-regulation within Australia. ACIF provides a neutral forum in which all participants and end-users in the Australian communications industry can work together to foster an efficient, competitive environment through self-regulatory processes, technical codes and standards.