FAQ - July 2014 Mandatory Changes
What are the changes?
From 1 July 2014, all registered cablers undertaking
specialised cabling work in customer premises must have the
appropriate endorsements or have attained the appropriate
competencies in order to undertake these types of cabling work.
These changes came into effect on 1 July 2012. Registered
cablers were given a 2-year transition period to attain the
appropriate qualifications.
What is specialised cabling work?
Specialised cabling work is any installation, maintenance or
repair work that involves;
- Broadband (data or co-axial cable in a lift or the home/small
office environment); or
- Structured (data cable such as Cat 5 or Cat 6); or
- Optical-fibre cable; or
- Co-axial cable.
Note:The "Broadband" competency is applicable to Lift or
Restricted registered cablers and permits them to perform data or
co-axial cabling work in a lift or home/small office environment
within the limits specified by their Lift or Restricted
registration. The Structured, Optical fibre and Co-axial
competencies are only applicable to open registered cablers.
Please refer to sections 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 of the ACMA's Cabling
Provider Rules for a detailed description of the cabling work
Open, Restricted and Lift registered cablers are permitted to
perform noting that all registered cablers must have the
appropriate endorsements or competencies to perform any specialised
cabling work they undertake from 1 July 2014 onwards.
What does my open registration with no endorsements or
competencies allow me to do?
You will be permitted to do any telecommunications customer
cabling installation, maintenance or repair work that does not
involve specialised cabling - i.e. you will not be able to work on
any of the following cabling:
- Broadband cabling (data or co-axial cable in a lift or the
home/small office environment); or
- Structured (data cable such as Cat 5 or Cat 6); or
- Optical-fibre cabling; or
- Co-axial cabling.
You can perform any specialised cabling work under the direct
supervision of an appropriately registered cabler who has the
appropriate endorsements or competencies.
What does my restricted registration with no
endorsements or competencies allow me to do?
You will be permitted to do any telecommunications customer
cabling installation, maintenance or repair work in the home or
small office that does not involve specialised cabling - i.e. you
will not be able
to work on any of the following cabling:
- Broadband cabling (data or co-axial cable in a lift or the
home/small office environment); or
- Structured (data cable such as Cat 5 or Cat 6); or
- Optical-fibre cabling; or
- Co-axial cabling.
You can perform any specialised Broadband or co-axial cabling
work, in the home or small office, under the direct supervision of
a restricted registered cabler who has the Broadband competency.
You can also perform any specialised open cabling work under the
direct supervision of an open registered cabler who has the
appropriate endorsements or competencies.
Note: The work a cabler holding a restricted registration can
undertake remains unchanged. You cannot undertake cabling work to
or from a jumperable frame, a jumperable distributor, or a patch
panel - please also refer to section 2.3 of the ACMA's Cabling
Provider Rules noting that a cabler holding a restricted
registration must have the Broadband competency to perform any data
or co-axial cabling work from 1 July 2014 onwards.
Does my cabling registration cease to be valid after 1
July 2014 if I don't have any endorsements or
competencies?
No. Your Open, Restricted or Lift cabling registration will
continue to remain valid, subject to the expiry date printed on
your registration card, and you continuing to renew it as required.
However, the work you will be legally able to perform will be
limited to the non-specialised cabling work your registration
authorises you to undertake.
If you will be undertaking any
specialised cabling work after 1 July 2014, you must ensure
that you have attained the appropriate competencies - please refer
to sections 2.2, 2.3 and 2.4 of the ACMA's Cabling
Provider Rules for a detailed description of the cabling work
Open, Restricted and Lift registered cablers are permitted to
perform.
What happens if I don't have any endorsements and don't
attain any competencies before 1 July 2014, and continue to work on
specialised cabling?
If you do not have the appropriate endorsements or competencies
applicable to the
specialised cabling work you will be undertaking, then you
could be fined or prosecuted for failing to comply with the Cabling
Provider Rules 2000.
Court imposed penalties of up to $20,400.00, a criminal record,
or on-the-spot fines could result. Vendor guarantees, warranties
and your public liability insurance may also become null and
void.
I have an Open registration with Cat 5, Fibre and Co-ax
endorsements. What does this allow me to do?
You are permitted to undertake any telecommunications customer
cabling work. You do not have to complete any additional training.
The endorsements for Co-axial, Optical-fibre and Cat 5 are
equivalent to the new competencies.
I have a Restricted registration. What competencies can
I obtain?
The only competency available to holders of Restricted
registrations is the Broadband competency.
If you intend to install, maintain or repair any data cabling or
co-axial cabling in a domestic premises or the small office/home
office environment, you will be required to attain this
competency.
What about Aerial and Underground cabling?
The changes have had no effect on the Aerial
and Underground requirements, and as such they were not
specifically mentioned. As a registered cabling provider, you are
required to hold the appropriate competencies, or endorsements, for
the work you will be undertaking after 1 July 2014.
I install free to air TV antennas or satellite TV
systems. What effect do the changes have on me?
If you only install free to air TV antenna systems, these
changes do not affect you. A cabling registration is not required
to install, maintain or repair TV co-axial antenna cabling.
Similarly a cabling registration is not required to install,
maintain or repair satellite TV co-axial cabling.
However, if the satellite TV set top box or a TV requires a
telephone or data connection, you must have a cabling registration
with the appropriate endorsement or competency if you intend to
install additional telephone or data points for a set top box or a
TV.
I have an Open registration. Do I need to get all of the
competencies?
You are only required to obtain the
competencies for the type of
specialised cabling work you will be undertaking. If you
will only be working on structured (data) cabling, you will only be
required to have a structured competency. Similarly, you will only
be required to have a Co-axial or an Optical fibre competency if
you will be undertaking these types of cabling work.
I have a lift registration. How do the changes affect
me?
Your Lift registration will continue to remain valid after 1
July 2014, subject to the expiry date printed on your registration
card, and you continuing to renew it as required.
Lift registration is an 'add-on' to an electrical qualification
that applies to telecommunications cabling work in the lift
environment only. The only competency available to holders of Lift
registrations is the Broadband competency.
If you intend to install, maintain or repair any data cabling or
co-axial cabling in the lift environment, you will be required to
attain this competency.
After 1 July 2014, the module-based pathway to obtain a
cabling registration ceases. What does this mean?
After 1 July 2014, you will only be able to obtain a cabling
registration via the competency pathway.
Due to new Vocational and Educational Training regulations,
Registered Training Organisations will no longer be permitted to
offer the module based pathway.
The pathways are available in the
Pathways to ACMA Cabling Provider Rules - Cabler
registration document.
How do I undertake the necessary training to
attain the competencies?
Registered Training Organisations will be able to provide you
with the necessary training. Please click on the link to
view a list of Registered Training Organisations in each
state and territory.
For more information on cabling registration, please contact the
ACMA by telephone on 1300 850 115 or by email at info@acma.gov.au.