December 30th 2003
By: Luke
Ofcom To Look Into BT Local Loop Dominance
Ofcom is to investigate BT's dominance of telephone connections between homes and local exchanges, The Times reports.
The paper on Tuesday said the inquiry would take place early next year ahead of a review of the whole British telecoms market.
December 29th 2003
By: Russ
Happy Birthday Ofcom
Two quotes for Ofcom on its birthday:
From our birthday, until we die,
Is but the winking of an eye....
~ WB Yeats
Television! Teacher, mother, secret lover...
~ Homer Simpson
December 29th 2003
By: Russ
The 'new' 5.8 GHz frequency band...
The DTI recently announced the availability, starting on February 2, 2004, of the 5.8 GHz frequency band in the U.K. Huh?
This same 5.8 GHz frequency band (well, roughly the same) was made available in the U.S., on a license-free basis, seven years ago. ...
December 29th 2003
By: Luke
Ofcom Is Go!
Ofcom has now assumed its duties. It is finally the UKs media and communications regulator.
December 28th 2003
By: Luke
EU Candidate Countries: Telecom Markets - Final Report
IBM Business Consulting Services (formerly PwC Consulting) was commissioned by the Directorate General Information Society of the European Commission to prepare four reports tracking the development of the telecommunications services markets in the EU candidate countries (Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, ...
December 24th 2003
By: Russ
Lightweight today, heavyweight tomorrow?
If the regulators are concerned about low budgets for 'lightweight' news/factual programming at ITV, then maybe the answer is an owner with deeper pockets?
And speaking of lightweight news/factual programming.
December 24th 2003
By: Russ
Thoughts on Transparency...
On December 21, The Legal Theory Blog (highly recommended, by the way) addressed the issue of transparency, which is something we here at Ofcom Watch tend to promote in UK media and communications policy. I must say, Lawrence Solum covered this area in a more balanced fashion ...
December 22nd 2003
By: Russ
So Sayeth the Church Elders...
Today's Media Guardian has several good pieces on Ofcom, PSBs, and overall UK media and communications policy by: Lucy Rouse (interviewing Lord McIntosh), David Puttnam, and Damian Tambini. All are worth reading, as they touch on the issues we have struggled with over the past ...
December 20th 2003
By: Luke
PSBs Fail To Bring Seasonal Cheer To UK Film Industry
A study by the UK Film Council analysed 156 films to be broadcast on the five terrestrial PSB channels between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day, and found that UK films made in the last eight years comprised 5.13% of the ...
December 20th 2003
By: Russ
The DCMS: An Impressive Transparency and Accountability Commitment
Follow-up to my post of December 11th (Your BBC, Your Say):
I'm in London right now, but the DCMS actually rang me back on my Virginia (USA) telephone number, indicating that my American views on the BBC Charter were welcome, and provided some follow-up ...
