2. What is ofcom?
Ofcom (The Office Of Communications) are the United
Kingdom's regulatory body for telecommunications.
3. What do they do?
They are responsible for making sure that the law is
followed by television and radio broadcasters. They
regulate the TV and radio sectors, fixed line telecoms,
mobiles, postal services, plus the airwaves over which
wireless devices operate, they make sure that people in
the UK get the best from their communications services
and are protected from scams and sharp practices,
while ensuring that their is competition.
4. Rules/acts/duties they follow
Ofcom operates under a number of Acts of Parliament
and other legislation, (which is also called the 'Ofcom
Act'). These acts include (but they are not limited to)
The Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006; The Broadcasting
Acts 1990 and 1996; The Digital Economy Act 2010;
The Postal Services Act 2011; The Competition Act
1998 and The Enterprise Act 2002.
5. Rules/acts/duties they follow
Ofcom must act within the powers and
duties set for it by Parliament in legislation.
The Communications Act says that Ofcom’s
principal duty is to further the interests of
citizens and of consumers, where
appropriate by promoting healthy
competition. Meeting this duty is at the heart
of everything that they do. Accountable to
Parliament, they set and enforce regulatory
rules for the sectors for which they have
responsibility.
6. Continued-
They also have powers to enforce competition law in
those sectors, alongside the Competition and Markets
Authority. Ofcom's funding is from the industry for
regulating broadcasting and communications networks,
and grant-in-aid from the Government.
The Executive runs the organisation and answers to the
Board. The Ofcom Board meets at least once a month
(with the exception of August). Agendas, summary,
notes and meetings are published regularly on the
Ofcom website.
7. When did Ofcom launch?
Ofcom launched on 29 December 2003, they inherited the
duties that had previously been the responsibility of five
different regulators:
● the Broadcasting Standards Commission
● the Independent Television Commission
● the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel)
● the Radio Authority
● the Radiocommunications Agency.
8. What Ofcom do
Their main legal duties are to ensure the UK has a wide
range of electronic communications services, including
high-speed services such as broadband, a wide range
of high-quality television and radio programmes are
provided, appealing to a range of tastes and interests.
Television and radio services are provided by a range of
different organisations, people who watch television and
listen to the radio are protected from harmful or
offensive material. People are also protected from being
treated unfairly in television and radio programmes, and
from having their privacy invaded.
9. What Ofcom do not do
● On the other hand they are not responsible for regulating
any disputes between you and your telecoms provider,
the premium-rate services, including mobile-phone text
services and ringtones, the content of television and
radio adverts, any complaints about accuracy in BBC
programmes, the BBC TV licence fee, post offices, or
newspapers and magazines.
10. Key personnel for Ofcom
(Last updated on December 17th 2013)
● Chief Executive, Ed Richards
● Legal Group, Polly Weitzman (General Counsel)
● Content, Consumers and External Affairs, Claudio Pollack
● Strategy, International, Technology, Economist Group,
Steve Unger
● Competition Group, Stuart McIntosh
● Spectrum Policy Group, Philip Mamick
● Operations Group, Jill Ainscough (chief operating officer)
●
