Home » UK ISP News Archive » Article Tag: Ofcom Regulation (1790 Posts)

Articles for Category Tag - Ofcom Regulation

Price Hikes in UK Telecoms and Broadband

Ofcom UK Probes Transparency of Mid-Contract Broadband Price Hikes UPDATE

1st December, 2022 (14 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today launched a new industry-wide enforcement programme, which will monitor and examine whether in-contract price rises were being set out clearly enough by broadband ISP and phone providers before customers signed up.

AltNets Fear Openreach FTTP Price Cuts Put £20bn UK Investment at Risk UPDATE

1st December, 2022 (57 Comments)

The Independent Networks Co-operative Association (INCA), which represents UK alternative broadband ISP networks, has warned that Ofcom could be putting their collective investment of £20bn to build competitive full fibre networks at risk if they wave through Openreach’s (BT) next round of FTTP broadband prices cuts (Equinox 2).

Gov Campaign to Raise Awareness of UK Social Broadband Tariffs

29th November, 2022 (9 Comments)

After meeting with ISPs, the Government has today launched a UK-wide public awareness campaign as part of its Help for Households programme, which aims to help people through the cost-of-living crisis and will also work to improve the uptake of cheaper social tariffs from broadband and mobile providers (available to those on benefits).

Softened Online UK Internet Censorship Bill Returns to Parliament

28th November, 2022 (18 Comments)

The UK Government has confirmed the mess of confusing legislation that is the Online Safety Bill (OSB), which attempts to clampdown on “harmful” internet content (i.e. via fines, website blocks by broadband ISPs and other sanctions), will return to Parliament “next week” (5th Dec) with some key changes.

CEO of UK ISP BT Warns of Unsustainable Social Broadband Tariffs

28th November, 2022 (29 Comments)

The CEO of BT’s Consumer division, Marc Allera, will this week warn the Government’s Digital Infrastructure Minister, Julia Lopez, that the improved and cheaper social broadband and phone tariffs that they’re now offering to customers on benefits (Home Essentials) will eventually become “unsustainable” without support.

Ofcom Tells UK Phone Providers to Identify and Block Spoofed Calls

15th November, 2022 (13 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, has today introduced new rules that will require phone providers to crackdown on “fake phone numbers” by identifying and blocking “spoofed calls“, where feasible. The move aims to tackle a problem that, during the summer, resulted in 40.8 million people being targeted by suspicious calls and texts.

Hands holding british pound coin and small money pouch by 123rf

Survey Identifies Reasons for Slow Take-up of Broadband Social Tariffs

11th November, 2022 (16 Comments)

A new survey of 2,009 UK people eligible for fixed broadband social tariffs by ISPs (i.e. cheaper packages for those on benefits), which was conducted by consumer magazine Which?, has revealed that 39% of those eligible and aware of such tariffs do not intend to signup due to concerns over slow speeds, existing contracts and other issues.

Ofcom-UK-Satellite-Broadband-Illustration

Ofcom UK Gives Capacity Boost to Satellite Broadband Services

10th November, 2022 (0 Comments)

Ofcom has today published a refreshed strategy for managing radio spectrum used by the space sector, which among other things will make more spectrum frequency in the 14.25 – 14.5GHz “Ku band” available to satellite broadband operators (capacity boost) and approve new earth stations for use by Starlink and Telesat.

Consumers Want End to Mid-Contract Broadband and Mobile Price Hikes

8th November, 2022 (10 Comments)

A new Opinium survey of 2,000 UK adults, which was commissioned by Uswitch during October 2022, has unsurprisingly found that 81% of respondents think mid-contract price increases by broadband ISPs and mobile operators are “unfair” and 80% want more providers to offer fixed price contracts.

switching_between_broadband_providers_image

UK ISPs Set to Miss Ofcom’s Broadband Switching Deadline

5th November, 2022 (19 Comments)

A growing number of UK broadband providers, particularly those that are building alternative Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) networks, are growing concerned that they won’t be able to meet Ofcom’s April 2023 deadline for the introduction of the new One Touch Switch (OTS) ISP migration system. Delays look inevitable.

Ofcom Wants to be Notified of More UK Network and Internet Disruption

1st November, 2022 (1 Comment)

Ofcom has proposed to update their existing Network and Information Systems (NIS) guidance in order to require that UK Operators of Essential Services (OES), such as top-level domain name registries, DNS (domain name systems) providers and IXP (internet exchange) operators, inform them of less severe outages.

Ofcom UK Give the Kiss of Death to FAX Services on BT and KCOM

1st November, 2022 (2 Comments)

The UK communications regulator, Ofcom, has today officially proposed to remove the requirement for telecoms operators to provide FAX (facsimile) services under their legally-binding Universal Service Obligation (USO), which only applies to BT and KCOM.

BT’s October 2022 Progress Update on 10Mbps UK Broadband USO

31st October, 2022 (9 Comments)

UK ISP BT has issued the latest biannual October 2022 update on the progress they’ve made in delivering the 10Mbps Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband, which confirms that they’ve so far built a USO connection to over 5,900 premises (up from 4,600), with more than 2,000 further builds in progress (down from 2,300).

Bill Proposed to Improve UK Consumer Telephone Service Standards

27th October, 2022 (21 Comments)

The Conservative MP, Robert Halfon, has proposed a new Private Members Bill that seeks to clampdown on utility providers (broadband ISPs, energy etc.) and “certain other services” that run telephone support lines, specifically those that make it difficult or force you to wait for ages before being able to speak with a human.

Net Neutrality – Ofcom UK Softens Open Internet Safeguards UPDATE2

21st October, 2022 (7 Comments)

Ofcom has today published new proposals to soften some of the UK’s existing Net Neutrality protection rules, which were established some years ago to ensure no serious blocking or slowing of access to legal websites or other internet services by broadband ISPs and mobile network operators. But there are some positive statements too.

Ofcom 2022 Study – Average UK Broadband ISP Speeds Hit 59.4Mbps

21st October, 2022 (13 Comments)

Ofcom’s 2022 study of fixed line home broadband ISP speeds has reported that the average (median) UK download rate has risen from 50.4Mbps last year to 59.4Mbps now (uploads went from 9.8Mbps to 10.7Mbps). But the performance gap between rural and urban areas has “widened” (unsurprising with so much urban FTTP build).

woman customer complaints call center vector illustration eps 10

Ofcom Name Shell Energy as UK ISP with Most Complaints in Q2 2022

18th October, 2022 (6 Comments)

Ofcom’s latest Q2 2022 survey of UK consumer complaints has named ISP Shell Energy as attracting the most moans for both fixed line broadband and landline phone services, while BT (BTMobile) did the same for Pay Monthly mobile services and Virgin Media (VMO2) were on the naughty step for Pay TV.