The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has held that local telco, Lycamobile, has breached service provider rules under the Telecommunications Act 1997 (Cth) (the Act).
Under the Act, telecommunications companies are obliged to provide Telstra Corporation with certain information about consumers in order to maintain the Integrated Public Number Database (IPND). The ACMA investigation determined that there were 245,902 instances where Lycamobile failed to provide accurate customer information to the IPND and 4,207 instances where it failed to comply with ID check rules before signing up prepaid mobile customers.
The ACMA issued an infringement notice requiring Lycamobile to pay a $604,800 penalty.
ACMA has said that if Lycamobile fails to comply with its customer data or pre-paid ID check obligations in the future, that ACMA could commence proceedings in the Federal Court for civil penalties of up to $250,000 (per contravention).
