Background
Readers out there who have been paying attention will know that Ofcomwatch have been asking Ofcom to publish the responses it receives to its consultations when they are received. Initially, we wrote to the regulator last November to suggest that doing this would make it easier for individuals and organisations with limited resources to respond [...]
Price rise of up to 32 per cent could be passed on to customers and stunt growth of small and medium sized ISPs
The Internet Services Providers� Association (ISPA UK) is highlighting significant fears for its smaller members and broadband Britain following price rises introduced by BT to their IPStream products in order to comply [...]
Ofcom today published its final proposals for wholesale price reductions for Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) services. Subject to consultation, the price reduction will come into effect in December. This will be the final stage of a process begun in May this year when Ofcom outlined its proposals to increase effective and sustainable competition in broadband. [...]
silicon.com reports:
The UK Internet Federation (UKIF) – which represents UK ISPs – has registered its objections to BT’s price hikes with Ofcom but still fears the regulator is going to rubberstamp the changes this Thursday.
BT recently announced that it would be raising the prices of its wholesale broadband by as much as 30 per cent [...]
Apologies for the untimely post on this topic. I finally got around to reviewing Ofcom’s ‘Statement on Spectrum Trading‘ and here are my initial thoughts:
* Section 1.6 – The statement that this ‘represents a new approach to spectrum management’ is only true for those who have ignored academic, marketplace and regulatory developments over [...]
ISPs to meet Ofcom over BT broadband price hikes
ZD Net reports:
BT’s shock decision to raise some business broadband prices has provoked growing concerns amongst ISPs, who will meet with Ofcom this Friday to discuss the issue.
The UK’s Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) is wading into the row over BT’s decision to raise the cost of [...]
Due to some prodding by the Consumer Panel, Ofcom has decided to have a rethink about how (or rather when) it publishes the responses it receives to consultations.
As it stands when Ofcom receives responses to a consultation the regulator only publishes them alongside its own decision.
Those of you who are avid Ofcomwatch watchers will remember [...]
The Times reports:
Telegraph Sale
“THE Barclay brothers are not expected to face a �public interest� regulatory test over their takeover of The Daily Telegraph, according to officials who would be responsible for leading such an inquiry.
Senior executives of Ofcom [Stephen Carter], the communication regulator, claim in private that they do not expect to be asked by [...]
‘Useful and powerful’ … OfcomWatch should trademark that as our new slogan. Much better than ‘fair and balanced’.
To Luke’s point about OfcomWatch’s direction over the next six months, I can only agree… As Ofcom sprints (trudges? stumbles? glides?) across the finish line of its first year as the U.K.’s media and communications regulator, [...]
Here’s what the Account Planning Group recently said about Ofcomwatch:
“On the face of it, you’d think that ofcomwatch would be quite boring. They describe their mission like this: Ofcomwatch is an informal group blog commenting on the processes and practices of the Office of Communications (Ofcom) and related media and communications regulation issues both in [...]
It was interesting to note ITV�s share price falling below a quid yesterday. The joint company, the result of merger between Carlton and Granada, was based on the premise of realising synergies, delivering returns for investors and top-notch programmes for viewers. The company has lost a third of its value since the ‘golden’ deal got [...]
Ofcom Website | UK spectrum management
Trading mechanisms, liberalisation of use, access and innovation
Ofcom will take the following steps in 2004-05 to provide a revised spectrum management framework with appropriate market mechanisms and incentives for efficient use and innovation:
1) August 2004
Statement on spectrum trading, published today. Spectrum trading will allow companies and individuals holding licences [...]
Energis are the latest company to sign up to Ofcom’s Telecoms Adjudicator Scheme.
Ofcom recently appointed Peter Black as telecoms adjudicator to decide disputes between telcos relating to local loop unbundling. The move effectively re-creates a Director-General structure in regard to overseeing the LLU process – difficult to assess how it will work out in the [...]
“An Ofcom spokesman declined to comment on the payoffs, saying that he did not represent the former Radio Authority. No spokesman for the Radio Authority now exists.” The Times – 4th August, 2004
In its report today on Ofcom’s costs The Times highlights the additional financial burden of Ofcom over and above the costs incurred by the five legacy regulators when they were operating independently. In representing citizen-consumers Ofcom takes its costs out of our pockets – i.e. regulatory costs are passed on to the public by any [...]
Ex-Radio Authority executives share �392,000 loyalty bonus
The facts and figures about the costs of establishing Ofcom keep on coming.
This time it’s the Radio Authority. Retainers and pay-offs were not up there with Patricia Hodgson’s �500,000 from the ITC but they’re not bad for something of a niche player on the regulatory scene.
Anyway…The Times reports:
“SEVEN former [...]
Ofcom today announced a review of the regulation of premium rate telephone services with a view to improving measures to protect consumers from fraudulent and unscrupulous activity. The review will include an examination of options to strengthen the powers of ICSTIS – the industry-funded regulatory body for all premium rate services – as well as [...]
16 broadband providers have come together to sign up to a voluntary code of practice aimed at minimising the delays and disuruption for consumers who switch from one provider to another.
Customers can ask their existing ISP for a migration authority code which they then give to their new service provider. The new company then arranges [...]
Ofcom today published its approach to licensing and regulating Community Radio.
Inviting applications
Applications for Community Radio licences will be invited once a year.
Ofcom will not specify where a radio service should be. Instead it will invite applicants to identify the community or communities they wish to serve.
The first opportunity to apply for a new community [...]
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