Opticomm has paid a A$150,240 penalty after the communications regulator found it repeatedly failed to properly notify planned and completed broadband infrastructure works at new housing developments.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said an investigation identified 184 instances between May 2023 and May 2024 where Opticomm did not provide required notifications within the set timeframes.
Opticomm is the statutory infrastructure provider for wholesale broadband networks in a number of new real estate developments. Under industry rules, carriers installing telecommunications networks in new or redeveloped project areas must connect premises, supply services that can meet minimum internet speeds, and notify the ACMA when they enter contracts to install infrastructure and again when works are completed.
The regulator said the notification framework is intended to improve transparency about where networks are being built and help ensure homes and businesses can be connected without delay. “Clear information about where carriers are planning to install telco networks reduces inefficiencies and unnecessary infrastructure duplication,” Ms Yorke said.
Ms Yorke added: “Opticomm is one of the largest independent providers of broadband access networks in Australia and should have adequate systems and processes in place. This penalty serves as a warning to industry that the ACMA takes enforcement of these rules seriously.”
As part of the investigation, Opticomm said the breaches were the result of human error and manual processes that meant issues were not immediately identified.
In addition to the penalty, the company has entered into a court-enforceable undertaking to commission an independent review of its compliance processes under the statutory infrastructure provider rules and to implement any recommendations.
