I just read this report from the HD Masters Conference in London. TVBEurope states:
[Ofcom's Greg] Bensberg also dismissed a suggestion that the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of ASO [analogue switch-off] be seized with a ‘big bang’ conversion of Freeview to an all-HD platform, claiming that viewers needed to have the choice of standard definition TV.
I think [...]
Details here. Ofcom report:
Ofcom’s Radio Licensing Committee made licence awards to the following applicants in Northern Ireland and Scotland (in no particular order):
Drive FM (Derry/Londonderry)
Aldergrove and Antrim FM (Aldergrove and Antrim)
Ballykinler FM (Ballykinler, County Down)
Holywood FM (Holywood, County Down)
Speysound Radio (Badenoch & Strathspey)
Each of these services will be licensed for a period of five years [...]
Folks, the news is coming in fast and furious today:
* James Purnell MP is to take up the DCMS post. Jowell will retain a cabinet-level position overseeing the Olympics.
* DTI has morphed into something called The Department for Business, Entreprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR) and will be headed by John Hutton MP.
* [...]
Ed Richards gave an interesting speech yesterday. The full text is here. For someone like me who is not very technical when it comes to the Digital Dividend Review (DDR), the most interesting nugget to come from the speech is this:
At the technical level, there is much less difference than has been [...]
The news from Brussels:
“The Commission has repeatedly warned Germany that its new telecom law violates EU Telecom Rules, but without success†said EU Telecom Commissioner Viviane Reding. “We want to ensure Germany can benefit from a healthy, competitive and fully functioning market and encourage both competition and investment in broadband markets. This is why we [...]
The Guardian reports today that Sky is frustrated with Ofcom over the regulator’s decision to employ a delayed public consultation over Sky’s DTT pay-package plans when rival Setanta did not have to go through the same procedure.
I think Sky have a fair point.
Probably the most important duty of a regulator is to treat similarly-situated parties [...]
For those of you wishing to tune in to a late night listen to somafm.com, KCRW.org or live365, you’ll have to tune in another day.
Why? Today (Tuesday, June 26) thousands of US-based internet radio broadcasters are shutting down their stations to protest a royalty rate increase that, if unchanged, will inevitably put most of them [...]
I’m sure Ofcom didn’t like reading this in yesterday’s Sunday Times:
Britain is one of the most expensive places in Europe to get high-speed internet access, according to switching site Moneysupermarket. French broadband customers pay an average of only 83p a month for every 1Mb per second connection – UK consumers pay £5.60 a month.
Italian and [...]
Ofcom yesteday released another consultation document in its Digital Dividend Review, this time promising to find a better way for programme making and special events (PMSE) spectrum users to access spectrum without having to bid in auctions. The consultation closes on 31 August 2007. You can comment via Ofcom’s online response form here.
Ofcom [...]
The Government has announced the creation of a new Parliamentary group, the All Party Parliamentary Communications Group (apComms). apComms is a merger of the All Party Parliamentary Internet Group (APIG), the All Party Parliamentary Mobile Group (apMobile) and the All Party Parliamentary Group on Communications. The merging of these groups is designed to reflect the [...]
I see that the Ofcom Consumer Panel website has had a revamp – and very nice it looks to. The Panel acts as an independent research and policy advisory body for Ofcom on consumer interests in telecommunications, broadcasting and spectrum markets (with the exception of content issues).
Sadly, the new site is missing any sign of RSS. [...]
It’s always interesting to see what media content gets banned in particular countries, and under what conditions. For example, in the UK — a country with very high personal debt levels and … how to put this delicately … a drinking problem — the average television viewer is bombarded with repeated adverts for ‘hassle-free’ [...]
Ofcom say today:
“Ofcom today announced new measures to provide clear incentives for the efficient use of the radio spectrum used by terrestrial television and radio broadcasters.
To be introduced in 2014, digital terrestrial radio and television broadcasters will be required to pay an annual fee – known as Administered Incentive Pricing (AIP) – that reflects the [...]
And the BAFTA for best edited screenplay goes to … Ofcom for its revisions to Tony Blair’s ‘Feral Beast‘.
Anyway, Matthew Norman reports today:
“The one thing yet to be observed about the speech, on reflection, is that Mr Blair intended it to be an immeasurably more scathing attack than it was. We [...]
Generally speaking, I think Ofcom consult well on their proposed regulations and policies. Sure, there have been times — particularly on issues where politics is involved — where Ofcom have come up short. I’m thinking mainly of Ofcom’s Broadcast Code and Junk Food (HFSS) Adverts consultations. But on most matters, it’s clear [...]
ICSTIS has upheld fines of £45,000 and £50,000, against Zamano and Atlas Interactive Group Ltd respectively, for unsolicited reversed billed SMS joke services the other day dismissing appeals from both parties, but I was more interested to see those old favourites – WIN (Wireless Information Network) appearing yet again: fined £5,000 for unsolicited SMS (content [...]
Details here.
Ofcom say:
Though Channel 4’s ability to deliver PSB in the future is likely to come under sustained pressure from 2010 onwards, there is no apparent need for immediate intervention;
However, work to evaluate potential interventions in the long term should begin now. Ofcom will assess a full range of options post 2010 as part of [...]
I’ve just been browsing the latest Ofcom Communications Market Report, and section 3.2.5 in particular. It’s really interesting.
But first, a style note. Ofcom mainly use charts — colourful bar charts — to convey data in these types of reports. For some reason, Ofcom refuse to put data in simple, easy-to-read, tables. [...]
Click here for the full transcript from the Reuters site. The meatiest nugget:
“It used to be thought – and I include myself in this – that help was on the horizon. New forms of communication would provide new outlets to by-pass the increasingly shrill tenor of the traditional media. In fact, the new forms can [...]
Ofcom today awarded the local DAB multiplex radio licence covering Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Buckinghamshire to NOWdigital, a wholly-owned sub of GCap.
The twelve-year licence — covering 8 proposed programme services — will cover an adult population of about 1.8 million people.
Details here.
Latest from Ofcom