ACRS DIRECTORS REPORT Peter Lamont Director ACRS and Senior Policy Advisor Peter.Lamont@neca.asn.au
The Australian Cabling Registration Service (ACRS) is one of five registered cabling registration providers approved by the Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA). ACRS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of NECA. As well as providing cabling provider registration services, ACRS provides access to regular, timely, and up-to-date information on the state of the data and telecommunication industry, and makes representations to the Federal Government on behalf of the industry on policy and compliance matters. At the end of the March 2021 quarter, there were 26,239 providers registered through ACRS. Of those, almost half (12,719) work primarily in the telecommunications industry. A further 40% of providers (10,351) work primarily within the electrical industry sector, with the balance being made up of
workers in the computing, data, fire, security or other industry sectors. New studies from ACMA show the use of social media apps rose across the community at a rapid rate between 2019 and mid-2020. Online meeting apps, such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, are in regular use by many people and businesses. The work of data and telecommunication cablers has never been more important than it is at present. With the COVID-19 lockdowns and growth in work from home arrangements over the last twelve months, cablers have been busy ensuring infrastructure is installed to ensure people can seamlessly conduct their business in this new environment. ACRS has been pursuing stronger compliance activities from ACMA. This has been based on the growth in the importance of our cabling
work, and because much of this work occurs in often dangerous locations, such as ceiling and wall cavities. It is also time for registered cablers to know that we are well into the transition period for AS/CA S009:2020 Installation Requirements for Customer Cabling (Wiring Rules). This standard was published on 20 August 2020, and applies to the installation and maintenance of fixed or concealed cabling or equipment that is connected, or is intended to be connected, to a telecommunications network, including any cord or cordage, or that part of any cord or cordage, that is connected as fixed or concealed cabling. An 18-month transition period commenced on the publication date and during this time cablers can use either the new standard or the old standard AS/ CA S009:2013. After 19 February 2022, only the new standard can be used.
ACRS ARGUES FOR BETTER COMPLIANCE ACTIVITIES FROM ACMA In February 2021, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) released a consultation paper on Compliance Priorities for 2021/2022. The Australian Cabling Registration Service (ACRS), prepared a submission to ACMA, encouraging them to initiate a robust compliance audit of the cabling industry. In its submission, ACRS pointed out that on 19 February 2021, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced that more than 8.1 million households and businesses are now connected to the National Broadband Network (NBN). With the NBN, a large percentage of devices connected to it, will rely heavily on conductive (copper) transmission lines. In spite of the community’s perception that the NBN is a comprehensive optical fibre network to every building in the country, it is in fact largely copper connected, and will remain as such for decades. According to NBN Co’s 2017 Corporate Plan, by the end of the rollout, a whopping 71-75% of Australian premises will be connected via copper-based technologies.
cabling. Of this, 63% related to communications Wiring Rule breaches, with the main breach being inadequate separation from the LV electrical cables. The majority of non-compliance was found in low-rise building sites. This migration to the NBN, has the potential to increase the degree of electrical conductivity, and therefore the risks associated with safety and network integrity, rather than the opposite. Additionally, ACRS pointed out that the Internet of Things (IoT) will most certainly introduce power feeding over the communications transmission path. While wireless communications will be extensively deployed in IoT, the majority of WAPs will undoubtedly be remote-powered over twisted-pair copper cabling. Further, there has been a significant and rapid shift towards remote working, as Australians respond to COVID-19 social distancing measures. This has led to a substantial increase in demand on Australia’s telecommunications networks.
ACRS was concerned that much telecommunication cabling work involves working in significant hazard risk areas, such as ceiling spaces. These risks include: electrocution risks, risks from sharp objects, asbestos, high temperatures, vermin, insulation material, accessibility and gas piping.
ACRS therefore contends that it is imperative for ACMA to complete another comprehensive round of compliance audits of data and telecommunication cabling works, similar to the work they carried out in 2017.
In fact, ACMA through its own compliance audit of 178 sites in 2017, found that 35% of these sites had non-compliant
It is ACRS’s opinion that to not do so exposes workers to unnecessary and potentially fatal risks.
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