Hello, It’s Stephen Carter Calling…

The FT’s ‘Creative Business’ today features the two page interview with Stephen Carter.

Only days away from the official vesting day of Ofcom Carter speaks frankly. He insists that Ofcom can evenhandedly deal with all its duties. Yet, more than once he mentions that the work of Ofcom will not be judged objectively:

‘The truth of regulation - I have said this to everyone who comes into Ofcom - is that when things go well, other people take the credit for that.’

Yet the FT also quotes someone - you know who you are - working at Ofcom who disagrees:

‘I think the person who will take credit for this will actually be Stephen Carter.’

While Carter acknowledges that Ofcom will be measured against the ability of smaller organisations making themselves heard he also gives some advise to organisations that seek to influence regulation:

‘First, don’t waste our time with time wasting complaints… Second, if you have a complaint, document it…Third, make it (complaining) a senior activity. Bitter experience tells me that when this is something that the CEO puts his or her name to, guess what? It generally speaking gets double or triple checked.’