Rank the Telco: Report on the Financial Hardship Policies and Practices of Telecommunications Providers
Rank the Telco: Report on the Financial Hardship Policies and Practices of Telecommunications Providers
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engPublication classification
A6.1 Research report/technical paperEditor/Contributor(s)
Whiteman C, Gartlan PPagination
1-52Research statement
Background This report critically examines the telecommunications sector’s failure to meet the financial hardship standards of other essential services, deepening exclusion for vulnerable groups. Drawing on financial counsellors’ insights, it situates telecommunications as a cornerstone of social inclusion, highlighting systemic barriers to access. Informed by scholarship on digital inclusion and neoliberal governance, the report calls for stronger regulatory protections and empathetic industry practices to ensure equitable access to essential services in the digital age. Contribution This report contributes to the ‘stock of knowledge’ by critically analysing the telecommunications sector’s inadequate financial hardship practices, using financial counsellors’ insights to produce new knowledge about systemic barriers to digital inclusion. It innovatively applies existing frameworks from essential services and digital equity to reconceptualise telecommunications as a fundamental right. By challenging industry conventions and highlighting the disproportionate impact on vulnerable groups, the work advocates for regulatory reform and empathetic practices, advancing both scholarly and practical understandings of inclusion. Significance This report’s significance is evidenced by its impact on national regulatory reform, contributing to an ACCC review of the telecommunications sector. Launched by Michael Cosgrave, then the most senior telecommunications regulator in Australia, the report was commended for its integrity and critical insights. Its findings have been recognised for shaping discussions on financial hardship practices and digital inclusion, reflecting its standing among peers and policymakers. The report exemplifies rigorous, practice-based research that offers real-world regulatory impact.Publisher
Financial Counselling VictoriaPlace of publication
Melbourne, Vic.Usage metrics
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