This comes as an ACMA investigation found that Elon Musk’s Starlink did not submit quarterly complaints reports within the required 30-day period on four occasions between October 2023 and July 2024, as mandated by the Telecommunications (Consumer Complaints) Record-Keeping Rules 2018.
The organisation began investigating in August 2024 after it became aware that Starlink had exceeded 30,000 active services, the minimum threshold requiring a retail carriage service provider to submit complaints data to the regulator.
According to ACMA’s investigation documents, it contacted Starlink in both August and October last year to remind it of its obligations, following media reports in March that the company had over 200,000 users.
Despite this, Starlink submitted a complaints report for only the September 2024 quarter on 30 October, 13 November and 28 November, respectively.
However, Starlink has since submitted the missing reports and cooperated fully during the investigation.
ACMA member Samantha Yorke said: “The ACMA monitors telco complaints data to ensure telcos are meeting their obligations towards customers and as a means of tracking where improvements may be needed. This data helps us understand current issues facing Australian consumers and identify complaint trends across industry.”
Yorke added: “Starlink’s failure to submit the required complaints reports in a timely way hampered the ACMA in its role of monitoring whether Starlink is meeting its obligations towards consumers.”
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