What is the ACMA?

The ACMA or Australian Communications and Media Authority is the regulator for broadcasting, the internet, radiocommunications, and telecommunications.

The ACMA is tasked with monitoring and regulating the telecommunications cabling industry in Australia. The CPRS (Telecommunications Cabling Provider Rules 2014) provide a minimum standard for cabling work to ensure safety and network stability.

These rules state that:

• All cabling work must be performed by a registered cabler – this covers cabling for telecommunications, fire, security, and data
• Cablers must obtain an ACMA level Open, Restricted or Lift registration depending on the work.
• Telecommunications cabling must be separated or segregated from electrical cabling to avoid electrical accidents.
• All cabling work must comply with the industry standard AS/CA S009:2013 Installation Requirements
• Cablers must only install cabling products and equipment which complies with the Telecommunications (Labelling Notice for Customer Equipment and Customer Cabling) Instrument 2015.
• Registered cablers must supervise unqualified cablers cabling work. And accept responsibility for that work ensuring it complies with wiring rules.

More information on the Cabling Rules and Requirements can be found here – acma.gov.au

Cabling categories

Registered cablers are required to carry out training to ensure they are able to perform cabling work to the Wiring Rules. Cabling work is broken up into three categories:

Open

Open cabling work is classified as any work in which the customer cabling terminates at the network boundary on a socket, network termination device, or distributor (eg building distributor or campus distributor). This work includes all types of residential, commercial and industrial customer cabling work. For example:

• Structured cabling, coaxial, optical fibre, aerial and underground cabling on private and public property
• Cabling work in a building where the electrical power exceeds 230V ac for single phase and 400V for three-phase.
• Cabling that requires the sharing of the cable sheath with other services

Restricted

Restricted cabling work covers a range of residential and small business cabling. A registered cabler can carry out:

• Extensions or new installations in domestic premises
• Cabling behind an alarm panel or modem*
• Cabling for additional phone points (other than the first point) in a commercial, highrise or multi-storey building for a standard telephone service.*
• Cabling for a home automation system.*

(*excluding those via a jumperable distributor a jumperable frame or patch panel)

Lift

Lift cabling work covers telecommunications cabling in lifts or elevators.

Data cabling Sydney

Blake our data cabling specialist at Captain Cook Electrical holds an Open Cabling Registration with the Australian Cabler Registration Service (ACRS) which means our team are able to take care of all your home and business cabling requirements across Sydney’s northern suburbs.

Cabler Registration No – A037988