Internet Society of Australia
A Chapter of the Internet Society
ACN 076 406 801
`Thousands of unsuspecting Australian businesses using the Internet may find they have to comply with the provisions of the Broadcasting Services Amendment (Online Services) Act', Tony Hill, Executive Director of the Internet Society of Australia (ISOC-AU) warned today.
`ISOC-AU and leading technology law firm Phillips Fox have analysed the provisions of the new legislation, which comes into effect from 1 January 2000, and found that the definitions of Internet Service Provider (ISP) and Internet Content Host (ICH) are much broader than previously thought.'
`An assumption of the BSA was that there are appoximately 650 online service providers in Australia.
`If our understanding is correct, then up to 20,000 Australian businesses could be subject to provisions of the Act from 1 January 2000. Growth projections indicate that this figure may explode to 60,000 within a year.
`Any business that provides access for contractors or any other non-staff members to the Internet through its internal network could be found to be an ISP', Mr Hill said.
`Also, any organisation offering Web service over its own permanent Internet connection, independent of a commercial host, could be classed not only as an ICH, but also as an ISP.
`We have communicated our analysis of the Act to the National Office of Information Economy through the Minister seeking advice on whether this interpretation is correct.
`Given that the Act will come into force in about 8 weeks time, we saw a need for the members of ISOC-AU and other users of the Internet to be informed of whether they were affected.
`Consequently, we are now in constructive discussion with the Minister's office and Department.'
Phillips Fox: Are You an ISP? Ambiguity in the Internet Censorship Legislation
ISOC-AU: Who is an ICH or an ISP (and How is the ABA Going to Notify Them)?
ISOC-AU was established in 1996 and aims to provide a voice for Australian Internet users. It is a chapter of the global Internet Society (ISOC).
21 October 1999
Contact:
Mr Tony Hill, 041 212 8755, ed@isoc-au.org.au
Mr Leni Mayo, 0418 377 937, media@isoc-au.org.au
www.isoc-au.org.au