'Plea for level playing field': Telstra boss calls for crackdown on tech giants
Telstra chief executive Andy Penn has called on the government to crackdown on the global technology giants to level the playing field for telecommunications companies and broadcasters in Australia.
Mr Penn pushed for the "same regulations for the same service regardless of the origins and industry of the provider" in a speech on Tuesday morning at the annual telco industry event, CommsDay Summit.
Currently, telco and broadcast licences require companies to stick to rules that impose tough conditions, like universal services obligations (that require certain services to be made available for all Australians) and content regulations. This legislation does not apply to social media companies.
Mr Penn said many of the services provided by Telstra, such as some forms of messaging, are also provided by over-the-top companies "outside of our regulatory framework".
"Services such as Viber or WhatsApp [owned by Facebook] do not have universal services or terminating obligations," he said. "This is not a criticism of those companies it is just a plea for a more level playing field when it comes to regulation.
"I do not envy policymakers and regulators here," Mr Penn said.
"But the problem is technology is moving fast and the reality is sometimes our regulatory environment can struggle to keep pace," he said.
He pointed to the Christchurch massacre in March, which was livestreamed on Facebook by the alleged gunman, and the decision of internet service providers to block websites sharing the footage. The government has imposed new legislation on companies, including social media and forums, that threatens jail time and hefty fines for those who do not remove objectionable content in a reasonable timeframe.
"I strongly believe that was the right thing to do. I would make exactly the same decision again today in the same circumstances," he said.
"My layman's view is that broadcasting is broadcasting and that the rules and norms that apply around content must be consistent regardless of the platform from which the content is broadcast.
"There is no reason why social platforms should be in a different category, so I applaud the government for recognising that."
Mr Penn said it was "better" to have accepted frameworks in place to be able to target websites "appropriately".
The major telcos and social media companies are currently involved in a government-led taskforce to create an emergency response plan should terrorist action involving livestream content or other violent footage be widely shared online.