Howdy folks, here is what’s knocking about lately:

* I spent most of the week in London meeting people for my PhD research on Ofcom. After having met about 30 people so far one thing really surfaces: Other than to report that people generally give Ofcom credit for improving regulation in this sector it is difficult to detect a consistent Ofcom ‘experience’ that people have. That probably means I am meeting with a good mix of people: politicians, academics, regulated firms (of all types), civil society, consultants, etc. It also reflects Ofcom’s wide remit and the large number of matters before the regulator.

If you want to share your experiences with Ofcom for my research, get in touch…

* I just received an email invite for an interesting seminar on the 19th of June (4pm-6:30pm) at the London Business School. The seminar will explore:

Communications sector regulation worldwide has focused on the promotion of competition. Competitive markets, it is argued, should deliver the benefits of choice, value and innovation to consumers. Regulators should not micro-manage markets or try to secure particular outcomes. Critics of this approach have suggested that it takes an overly narrow utilitarian view of consumers, their behaviour and needs, and that a different model is needed – with a real understanding of consumer behaviour, and especially the costs, especially switching costs, involved in making rational choices. This seminar examines the debate from several different perspectives and examines a range of practical steps for ensuring that consumers do benefit from competition in the sector.

Roger Darlington and Claudio Pollack will speak on this issue from an Ofcom perspective. To register, email sarahogg@london.edu.

* Ofcom announced today that it intends to issue a further discussion document on the 2500-2690 MHz frequency band. Details are here.

* Keith McMahon (of Telebusillis) had his excellent analysis on FTTX issues for BT Openreach covered by The Register. Story here.

* A few people have asked me about the Shilpa Shetty / Celebrity Big Brother matter currently before Ofcom. Is it delayed, they ask? Answer: No. Ofcom have consolidated the CBB matter into its Strategic Review of Cultural Insults. It’s difficult to say… Ofcom’s most recent Broadcast Bulletin definitely covers matters from the same time period (late 2006 / early 2007), but some of the more complex adjudications take longer. It probably means that the sensationalism associated with the CBB matter is causing Ofcom to really be careful with its response. You know what this means — the Scientologists will have to wait years before Ofcom address any complaint they may submit.