January 31st 2008
By: Russ
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Save the date: Feb 27th / LSE lecture …

[Distant suffering in the media = watching ITV ~ Russ]
January 31st 2008
By: Russ
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DTG: Ofcom are high deaf on DTT

January 30th 2008
By: Russ
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Ofcom’s Ed Richards: roaming an ‘obstacle to business’

[pronounced ~ ob-stack-el ~ as seen in O' Brother Where Art Thou?] Folks, Ofcom this week show signs of a consumer-oriented revitalisation on the subject of rip-offs in the telecom sector.  Basically, Ofcom are urging tougher European action (or industry moderation) on roaming charges, voice, data and text. Ed Richards' comments are ...
January 29th 2008
By: Russ
One Comment

DBERR — the BSkyB / ITV decision …

UPDATE:  I should add -- I am now a News Corp (Class A) shareholder ... as of 25 Jan 08, although not in significant amounts (sadly)... *** Folks, by now everyone has seen the outcome of the government's review of BSkyB's 17.9 percent stake in ITV. The full details can be ...
January 25th 2008
By: Russ
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Ofcom — untimely action on Sky Picnic proposal

I was just criticised in the comments section of this blog along the lines that our recent FT piece was complaining about Ofcom's maltreatment of Sky's Picnic application when all Ofcom are trying to do is regulate a dominant player. Fair criticism -- so let me explain the basis ...
January 25th 2008
By: Russ
2 Comments

Anthony Lilley — the 2020 media landscape…

As part of his lecture series here in Oxford Anthony Lilley is seeking questions on this topic: 'I'm looking for contributions on what the 20 most important questions are right now if the media landscape of 2020 is going to be fit for purpose.' I've got one: Given our seemingly unstoppable and unquenchable ...
January 25th 2008
By: Russ
6 Comments

Friday round-up…

Hello everyone, just (hopefully) emerging from a bad cold and thought I would see what's about: -- Nick Reynolds recently commented on our site, asking 'What exactly are the arguments FOR top slicing or indeed the PSP?'. While my thinking is evolving the more I learn about the UK system, ...
January 22nd 2008
By: Russ
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Toynbee on the BBC’s destruction…

A quick she/me on Polly Toynbee this morning, discussing the BBC's potential top-sliced future: She: 'The BBC has many dangerous and powerful enemies. Rupert Murdoch has his press lobbing relentlessly against the BBC, wanting it reduced to a US-style public subscription service offering only education and information, and no competition ...
January 21st 2008
By: Russ
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Reding: NGA is ’single most important policy question in telecoms sector today’

The key nugget from her recent speech: 'How we treat next generation access is therefore the single most important policy question in the telecoms sector today. We have to create incentives for investment whilst making sure that no-one (and I insist on this no-one), can be in a position to foreclose ...
January 21st 2008
By: Russ
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Monday tee-up…

Folks, some good chatter today: -- Owen Gibson sets out the current state of affairs. I particularly liked this nugget: 'Some of those voices are asking whether extra public money liberated from the licence fee or by other means wouldn't be better spent bridging the digital divide and bringing affordable broadband ...

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Mission - 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 the United Kingdom and around the world...

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May 9th 2008
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Ofcom pluralism book: Tim Suter on impartiality in broadcasting

I thought one of the more engaging articles in Ofcom's recent book on pluralism was written by Tim Suter. In his piece Suter questions the notion that rules on due impartiality are coherent and future-proof. He writes in part: 'The fact that the requirement for impartiality stretches back to ...
May 6th 2008
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UK no. 1 in broadband international league table…

According to the OECD's most recent statistics, the UK is number 1 in the international league table of people videoing their destruction of ADSL wireless routers: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OgBNc8Z0Zxk[/youtube] What is it about BT Home Hubs that drive people to violence?
May 4th 2008
One Comment

The GMTV phone-in scandal: Was Ofcom too soft?

On Friday, Ofcom denied my FOI Act request to uncover how much money GMTV refunded to victims of its wrongdoing. Ofcom stated that the information was subject to exemption 44 under the FOI Act and also stated 'Ofcom have not conducted any follow up and therefore we do not ...
May 2nd 2008
One Comment

OfcomWatch Friday Film Festival: Tiscali under scrutiny…

Here's an instant classic: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cBVAu927mw[/youtube]
May 1st 2008
3 Comments

Rapture responds to OW post about Ofcom appeal…

This is Rapture thing is getting a bit tired. Isn't the fundamental problem here that satellite television carriage is just really expensive and under-capitalised firms who want to reach the public are better off just maintaining a web presence? I had the unfortunate task in my earlier job ...

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