ACMA Establishes Dedicated Division for Triple Zero Emergencies Following Optus Outage
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is setting up a dedicated team to manage issues related to triple zero emergency calls. This move follows the federal government's decision to allocate additional funds to the regulator after the Optus triple zero outage incident last September, which was linked to two deaths. The new branch aims to strengthen ACMA's capability to oversee triple zero services and respond to incidents within a regulatory framework. The branch will primarily rely on internal expertise, supplemented by external technical or legal advice as needed. ACMA has received an additional $23.4 million from the federal government to enhance its capacity for regulatory and compliance activities related to triple zero matters. This includes obligations on telcos for outage notifications, reporting, device testing, and more. The funding will also support the work of the newly established Triple Zero Guardian. 
