Mar 24th 2005
By: monica
By: monica
Ofcom’s report on competition and regulation
Yesterday Ofcom published a report covering its work in competition and economic regulation in the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors between July and December 2004. The report notes the increasing convergence across Ofcom policy groups (the clearest example is the competition in broadcasting markets programme). It also highlights the number of full investigations has been reduced (about one in five requests as compared to Oftel�s consideration of almost nine out of ten) to allow Ofcom to target the most serious competition issues.
The report also includes priorities for the first half of 2005: �The highest priority will be producing a large number of policy publications which follow the telecoms strategic review phase 2 consultation document: the cost of copper consultation, the network charge control consultation, non-discrimination guidelines consultation, broadband market review consultation [�], consultations on charges for fully unbundled local loops and for wholesale line rental [�], a statement of Ofcom�s policy position in relation to next generation networks, consultation on various deregulation initiatives [�], resolution with BT of the approach to its organisational structure and the delivery of product level equivalence.�
This is the second report of this kind. Note that the first one (published last July) did not include competition policy activities in broadcasting. This is one area in which Ofcom�s powers are not prescribed in any significant detail, in contrast with ex-ante competition powers in telecommunications, and that had not been given much priority by Ofcom so far. This is now changing and Ofcom has began an internal review to agree on a policy on the use of its powers, which should be completed in the first half of 2005.
Activity