AMTA Snapshot Edition 109

Minister appoints AMTA to new cyber-safety committee AMTA Chief Executive Officer Chris Althaus has been appointed an industry representative to the new Cyber-Safety Consultative Working Group announced yesterday by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy.

Few surprises in telecommunications Federal Budget announcements Tuesday’s Federal Budget held few surprises for IT and Telecommunications. As expected key announcements related to broadband with the Australian Broadband Guarantee funding increased to $270M over four years to 2012.

AMTA Members urged to get involved in accessibility code review This week, many AMTA members would have received an invitation to participate in a review of the Information on Accessibility Features for Telephone Equipment Industry Code.

10,000 students take MobileMuster Old Phones More Trees Schools Challenge Ten thousand students from more than 150 schools in NSW, Queensland, Victoria, and the ACT are about to take part in MobileMuster Schools to see how many mobile phones they can collect and turn into trees by World Environment Day June 5

Media literacy is a key to engagement in the digital age, says report Appropriate skills and confidence in using new communications and media services are increasingly important for participation in all aspects of Australian society according to research released today by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

Californian study says using hands-free while driving can lower road toll A new law in California requiring drivers to use hands-free mobile phones while driving could save up to 300 lives a year, according to a study by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC).

UK parents nominate age children should get mobiles Children should not be given their first mobile phone until they are at least 11 years old according to an on-line poll by United Kingdom Merseyside charity Parentline Plus, the GSMA Environment Insider reports this week.