Disconnection Code of Practice

There is currently no agreed set of minimum requirements or standards between telecommunications providers in regards to disconnection, resulting in varying disconnection policies being employed.

There has been recent public interest in in disconnection practices by infrastructure providers in New Zealand which has lead the TCF to consider how telecommunication customers could benefit from the development and publication of an industry code for disconnection. The code would be non-regulated and ensure consistency across all telecommunication providers and provide customer protection by setting minimum industry standards and fostering better industry practice amongst telecommunication providers.

Disconnection Working Party

The TCF established a Working Party in September 2007 to prepare a report detailing the problem definition, background information, issues and a recomendation on whether a draft code should be developed. This report was drafted and submitted to the TCF Board in November 2007 with the recomendation that a non-regulated code of practice be developed for Disconnection. The report was endorsed by the TCF Board and the recomendation approved.

The working party has developed a draft non-regulated Code for Disconnection which aims to:

• set out certain principles that telecommunications providers should comply with in developing operating and applying disconnection policies for residential customers;
• provide guidelines for telecommunications providers to ensure compliance with their legal obligations and the obligations of the code;
• achieve a balance between legitimate industry interests and viability, and end user interests; and
• promote end user confidence in the industry’s disconnection practices and ensure that all consumers are aware of the payment options and services offered by telecommunications providers.

Disconnection Code

A draft code was issued for public consultation in March 2008. The draft Disconnection Code has been amended following the consultation period. The final draft of the Code and has been submitted to the TCF Board for endorsement.

Working Party Members

The Working Party members are

• Telecom
• TelstraClear
• Vodafone

Project Scope

The role of this working party is set out in the Disconnection Project Scope.