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Articles for Category Tag - Ofcom Regulation

Ofcom Provisionally Clears Openreach FTTP Broadband Price Cut

6th August, 2021 (14 Comments)

As expected Ofcom, the UK telecoms regulator, has today launched a final consultation on Openreach’s (BT) recently proposed plan to introduce a “major” change to the wholesale pricing of their gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband products for ISPs (details), which could result in cheaper prices for consumers.

ISP Scotnet and Tewdric Energy Hint at UK FTTP Rollout Plans UPDATE

2nd August, 2021 (0 Comments)

Broadband provider Scotnet, which mostly focuses upon serving rural areas in Scotland, and new market entrant Tewdric Energy have today, separately, both hinted at future plans to build a new Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) broadband network across parts of the United Kingdom.

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Ofcom UK Fine BT 42,500 GBP for Inaccurate Broadband USO Data

30th July, 2021 (10 Comments)

Ofcom has today fined BT £42,500 after it ruled that the UK telecoms operator had broken their rules by providing “inaccurate information” in response to a statutory information request, which was seeking data about EE’s Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband (4G) service for their 2019 Connected Nations report.

Parliamentary Committee Starts Scrutinising UK Online Safety Bill

29th July, 2021 (2 Comments)

A new cross-party “super committee” has today begun to scrutinise the UK Government’s new Online Safety Bill (Online Harms), which aims to have Ofcom clampdown on “harmful” online content (e.g. hate speech, bullying, terrorism, conspiracy theories etc.), while precariously trying to balance that with freedom of speech.

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Ofcom UK Propose Rule Changes for LEO Broadband Satellites

26th July, 2021 (2 Comments)

The new generation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) based ultrafast broadband satellite constellations, such as from Elon Musk’s Starlink (SpaceX) and British-registered OneWeb, has today prompted Ofcom to launch a new consultation on several licensing changes to help support them and tackle potential interference.

ISP Zen Internet Finally Joins Ofcom’s UK Broadband Speed Code

23rd July, 2021 (1 Comment)

Rochdale-based UK ISP Zen Internet has today become one of the latest providers to sign-up to Ofcom’s voluntary 2019 Code of Practice on Broadband Speed, which gives residential consumers and businesses both more information on their estimated connection speeds and greater protection when things go wrong.

Lords Committee Warn Online Safety Bill Threatens Free Speech

22nd July, 2021 (9 Comments)

The House of Lords Communications and Digital Committee has today published the outcome of its recent inquiry into freedom of expression, which warns that the UK Government’s new Online Safety Bill (Online Harms) is a “threat to free speech” due to its clampdown on “legal but harmful” content and “would be ineffective.”

Ofcom UK Opt Not to Propose Regulated Social Broadband Tariff… Yet

22nd July, 2021 (12 Comments)

Ofcom has today revealed the conclusion of their latest bout of research into the impact of affordability and debt on broadband ISP customers, which found that around 2 million UK households “struggle to afford internet access.” But they aren’t going to force a regulated social tariff onto the industry.. yet.

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New UK Consumer Protection Rules May Help Broadband ISP Users UPDATE

20th July, 2021 (1 Comment)

The UK Government will today launch a new consultation on ‘Reforming Competition and Consumer Policy’, which among other things promises several new protection measures that could also be extended to help “tackle consumer rip-offs and bad business practices” in the broadband ISP and mobile (telecoms) sector.

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Ofcom Sets Out UK Spectrum Strategy for the Next 10 Years

19th July, 2021 (2 Comments)

Ofcom UK has today set out their future spectrum management strategy for the next ten years, which among other things aims to boost support for localised spectrum access (e.g. creating local wireless networks via 5G etc.) and promote greater sharing of existing spectrum in higher frequencies.

Ofcom Tells BT to Improve 10Mbps UK Broadband USO Quotes

16th July, 2021 (32 Comments)

Ofcom’s investigation into BT’s compliance with their obligations under the new Universal Service Obligation (USO) for broadband has concluded that “some customers have been asked to pay materially higher amounts than they should have been.” As a result, they’ve asked the ISP to make a few improvements.

Wireless ISP Zoom Internet Plans UK FTTP Broadband Rollout

14th July, 2021 (3 Comments)

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) broadband ISP Zoom Internet, which covers a number of areas in West Sussex (e.g. Bognor Regis), appears to be planning to build their own gigabit-capable Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) network. The plan will focus on poorly served rural areas, where speeds are sub-10Mbps and no other upgrade plan exists.

Ofcom Propose Annual Licence Fees for the 2100MHz Mobile Band

14th July, 2021 (5 Comments)

The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has today published its proposals on the annual licence fees for spectrum licences in the 2100MHz band, which was originally auctioned off in April 2000 to support the deployment of 3G mobile (mobile broadband) networks for the eye watering sum of £22.5 billion.

Ofcom Plan 800MHz Band Boost to Aid UK 4G Mobile Coverage

13th July, 2021 (9 Comments)

The UK telecoms and media regulator, Ofcom, has today proposed to increase the permitted power output for the equipment mobile operators use in the 800MHz band, which is currently used to deliver 4G based data (mobile broadband) and call services. In theory, this could deliver a small improvement in network coverage.

Do UK Broadband ISPs Need a New Approach to Price Hikes

11th July, 2021 (31 Comments)

Price hikes are fairly common amongst all of the largest UK broadband ISPs, which tend to increase what they charge by an average of c.4-6% with every passing year, albeit often via a mix of very different and changeable approaches. But is it time for the industry to start considering a more predictable and standardised approach?

No Sign UK Gov Pushing for Mandatory Social Broadband Tariffs UPDATE

6th July, 2021 (2 Comments)

A short but interesting debate was held yesterday in the Lords Chamber, which appeared to indicate that the UK Government are not, at present, pressing Ofcom to introduce mandatory low cost social tariffs for broadband across the industry. But like the regulator, they would like to see better promotion of those that exist.

Court Hearing Begins in BT UK Landline Overcharging Case

24th June, 2021 (3 Comments)

Broadband ISP BT has today said it will “vigorously defend itself” – at the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) – against the claim of having allegedly overcharged c.2.3 million landline-only customers, which has been brought by law firm Mishcon de Reya on behalf of a former Ofcom telecoms consultant, Justin Le Patourel.