Telecommunications Act 1997

This section applies to a body corporate if:

either of the following conditions are satisfied in relation to a particular time (the relevant time):

the relevant time occurs immediately after the commencement of this section, and the body corporate is a designated Telstra successor company at the relevant time;

the relevant time occurs after the commencement of this section, and the body corporate becomes a designated Telstra successor company at the relevant time; and

the body corporate does not hold a carrier licence at the relevant time; and

the body corporate is a constitutional corporation at the relevant time; and

the body corporate is the owner, or one of the owners, of a network unit at the relevant time; and

no nominated carrier declaration is in force in relation to that network unit at the relevant time.

The ACMA is taken to have granted a carrier licence (the deemed carrier licence) to the body corporate under section 56 immediately after the relevant time.

The body corporate must:

apply under section 52 for a carrier licence; and

do so within 5 business days after the relevant time.

If the body corporate fails to comply with subsection (3), the body corporate is taken, at the end of the period of 5 business days, to have applied under section 52 for a carrier licence.

The application mentioned in subsection (3) or (4) is exempt from charge imposed by Part 2 of the Telecommunications (Carrier Licence Charges) Act 1997.

The ACMA must decide the application mentioned in subsection (3) or (4) as if the deemed carrier licence did not exist.

The deemed carrier licence remains in force until:

the ACMA grants a carrier licence to the body corporate in response to the application mentioned in subsection (3) or (4); or

if the ACMA refuses to grant a carrier licence to the body corporate in response to the application mentioned in subsection (3) or (4)—the latest of the following times:

the end of the 28‑day period beginning when the body corporate is informed by the ACMA of the refusal;

if, during that 28‑day period, the body corporate applies under section 558 for the ACMA to reconsider the refusal—the end of the 28‑day period beginning when the ACMA makes its decision on reconsideration of the refusal;

if, during the 28‑day period last mentioned in subparagraph (ii), the body corporate makes an application under section 562 to the Administrative Review Tribunal for review of the refusal decision—the end of the period (the first appeal period) within which an appeal from the decision of the Administrative Review Tribunal may be made to the Federal Court under section 172 of the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024;

if, during the first appeal period, the President of the Administrative Review Tribunal refers the decision on the application mentioned in subparagraph (iii) to the guidance and appeals panel of the Tribunal—the end of the period (the second appeal period) within which an appeal from the decision of the guidance and appeals panel may be made to the Federal Court under section 172 of the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024;

if, during the first appeal period or the second appeal period, the body corporate appeals to the Federal Court under section 172 of the Administrative Review Tribunal Act 2024 from the decision of the Administrative Review Tribunal mentioned in subparagraph (iii), or the decision of the guidance and appeals panel—when the appeal is determined.

Section 56A does not apply to the deemed carrier licence.