[LINK] End of the line for ATUG

[Bernard Robertson-Dunn]

End of the line for ATUG
Renai LeMay
Delimiter
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
http://delimiter.com.au/2011/08/30/end-of-the-line-for-atug/

One of Australia’s highest-profile voices for change in the 
telecommunications industry this week revealed it would close its doors, 
citing declining membership as one factor in its decision.

The Australian Telecommunications User Group (ATUG) was formed back in 
1981, as the Federal Government commissioned a review into 
telecommunications services in Australia following the growth of 
competition in the space in overseas markets.

At the time, Australia’s telecommunications market was dominated by 
three government business enterprises — Telecom, which would later 
become Telstra, the Overseas Telecommuinications Commission, which was 
formed after the second World War to provide overseas links, and Aussat, 
a separate satellite company.

As competition gradually increased in the sector over the next several 
decades, ATUG has played a role in advocating for positive change on 
behalf of its members — largely users of telecommunications services 
rather than telcos and ISPs themselves. It especially focused on the 
benefits to be accrued through introducing competition into the sector.

As recently as mid-way through this decade, the organisation’s landmark 
conference every year was viewed as an important venue for significant 
policy announcements to be made by the Federal Government and Opposition 
of the day — with both Communications Minister Stephen Conroy and his 
predecessor, Liberal Senator Helen Coonan, using the venue to do so. 
Successive Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairs have 
also used the occasion to comment on the industry.

However, in a statement released this week, ATUG chairman David Swift 
said it was time to shut the group down. “Today’s vibrant 
telecommunications environment owes much to the efforts of ATUG over the 
past 30 years,” Swift said. “However the achievements of the past three 
decades have also meant that the ongoing requirements and priorities of 
end-users have changed.”

“As a pioneer representative body in the 1980s ATUG gave a voice to all 
users of telecommunications technology and services. By promoting the 
interests of end-users, offering access to information and organising 
valuable networking events, ATUG has been a leading force for change as 
Australia moved from a government-owned telecommunications monopoly to 
an internet-enabled environment with multiple providers and choices.”

“Today the ATUG message is effectively bolstered by a number of consumer 
organisations as well as regulators and policies which promote the 
long-term interests of end-users. Telecommunications users now have 
ready access to research and information from a wide array of sources. 
So they no longer have to rely on ATUG newsletters, forums and conferences.”

Consequently, he addd, ATUG had been experiencing “a decline in its 
membership base” and the board believed it was time for other 
organisations to take up the torch. Swift thanked the group’s present 
and past members for their contributions, as well as “the many external 
stakeholders” who had aided the cause.

Opinion/analysis
Anyone who had attended one of ATUG’s conferences over the past few 
years (see photos here) could have seen that the organisation had become 
a shadow of its former self. It had become a little silly to see 
politicians and ACCC chairs making the pilgrimage to Australian 
Technology Park in Redfern to meet what had ended up being a very small 
room of people to listen to their speeches.

However, the demise of ATUG does raise the question of what groups, 
precisely, will replace it.

The key forum for important telecommunications industry speeches these 
days appears to be the successful conferences run by industry newsletter 
Communications Day. However, on the representation front, things are a 
little unclear. Those groups which are most vocal in the sector — such 
as the Communications Alliance and the Internet Industry Association — 
mainly appear to represent service providers, not users.

Of those groups which do represent end users, the most active would 
appear to be the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network 
(ACCAN). However, often we find it a little hard to take ACCAN’s 
utterings seriously … with the group coming across as a little shrill. 
In addition, obviously it is also funded by the Federal Government. 
ATUG’s demise will leave a gap in the industry and leave the debate that 
much poorer as a result.

-- 

Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Canberra Australia
email:	brd at iimetro.com.au
website:	www.drbrd.com



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