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Articles for Category Tag - Ofcom Regulation

Three UK Accused of Overcharging for VAT on Contract Cancellations

5th January, 2017 (4 Comments)

Ofcom has begun an unofficial probe after mobile operator Three UK was accused of “ripping off” subscribers who choose to cancel their contracts early, which it allegedly does by failing to fully deduct 20% of Value Added Tax (VAT) from the remaining months of service rental.

Ofcom Propose Tougher UK Consumer Protection Measures

20th December, 2016 (5 Comments)

The telecoms regulator has proposed a series of changes to their rules for broadband, phone and mobile providers, which they claim will help to protect consumers from harm. Some of the tweaks include changes to tackle billing accuracy, debt collection, nuisance calls, complaints handling and support for those with disabilities.

Q3 2016 Study – BT and Plusnet Attract Most Broadband Complaints

20th December, 2016 (6 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has today published their Q3 2016 consumer complaints study, which reports that the total volume of fixed line Broadband, Phone and Pay TV complaints in the UK has increased, while Mobile gripes declined. Sadly BT came out as the biggest magnet for broadband gripes.

Good Broadband Helps Winchester to Win UK Quality of Life Survey

19th December, 2016 (1 Comment)

The Bank of Scotland’s (Halifax, Lloyds) annual Quality of Life Survey, which examines a combination of broadband speed, health, crime rate, weather, employment, happiness and skills etc. to determine the best places in the UK to live, has ranked Winchester and the Orkney Islands top.

Government Considering New UK Rural Broadband Voucher Scheme

17th December, 2016 (18 Comments)

The Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), which oversees that national Broadband Delivery UK programme, appears to be considering the possibility of a much bigger voucher scheme that would help remote communities to access and build faster broadband infrastructure.

Ofcom Reveals its Options for the UK 10Mbps Broadband USO

16th December, 2016 (6 Comments)

The national telecoms regulator has today proposed a series of options for how a new legally-binding 10Mbps broadband Universal Service Obligation (USO) could be rolled out across the United Kingdom by 2020, but it’s expensive and the final decision is down to the Government.

89% of UK Covered by 30Mbps Broadband, But Only 1.7% See “Full Fibre”

16th December, 2016 (12 Comments)

Ofcom has today published their annual Connected Nations 2016 report, which confirms that 89% of UK premises are now within reach of a fixed line superfast broadband service (up from 83% in 2015), with take-up hitting 31% (up from 27%). But only 1.7% (498K premises) can get “full fibre” (FTTP/H).

Haitong Research Warns Openreach “cannot be legally separated” from BT

14th December, 2016 (30 Comments)

At the end of last month Ofcom confirmed that they’d force Openreach into “legal separation” from the BT Group (here), which they view as necessary to improve competition / fairness in the UK telecoms and broadband market. But a Haitong Research study warns that Pensions remain a roadblock.

UPDATE13 Customers of Broadband ISP Fast.co.uk and 186k Face Shock Cut-off

13th December, 2016 (185 Comments)

Sources have informed ISPreview.co.uk that customers of broadband ISP Fast.co.uk, sibling Firenet and supplier 186k are facing a nasty Christmas SHOCK after the provider, which until recently had been quite stable, suddenly announced that they were “unable to continue” the service.

Which? UK Study Finds Broadband is Essential, But 68% Suffer Problems

8th December, 2016 (8 Comments)

A new Populus survey of 2,107 UK homes from Which? has found that 90% of people view broadband as being “essential” (just below water, food, energy supply and housing), but 68% have suffered problems with their connection in the past 12 months and three in ten get sub-10Mbps speeds.

UPD Ofcom Consult on BT Cable Duct and Pole Access for Full Fibre Future

6th December, 2016 (0 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has begun a new consultation on their proposed Duct and Pole Access (DPA) solution, which will help ISPs to build alternative fibre optic broadband networks (FTTP/H) by granting them cheaper and easier access to Openreach’s (BT) cable ducts and telegraph poles.

UPDATE Citizens Advice Scolds BT Openreach for Slow Installs and Repairs

4th December, 2016 (46 Comments)

The Citizens Advice agency has described the broadband market’s current compensation system as being “deeply unfair” after it revealed that Openreach (BT) had failed to complete over 20% of repairs (364,000) and 6% (281,000) of installations on time between April to September 2016.

Virgin Media Freezes Line Rental for Elderly and Disabled Customers

1st December, 2016 (8 Comments)

Cable operator Virgin Media has today taken Ofcom’s new probe into the cost of landline rental (here) to heart and announced the launch of a new “Talk Protected” plan, which will freeze the price of line rental at £17.99 per month for its elderly and disabled phone-only customers.

Ofcom Finally Decides to Probe the Rising Price of UK Phone Line Rental

1st December, 2016 (10 Comments)

The UK telecoms regulator has finally decided to take a closer look at one of the markets most heated issues, the ever rising price of retail line rental. In recent years this has risen by between 28% and 41% in real terms, while the underlying wholesale cost has fallen by around 25%.

BT Openreach Publish FINAL Dark Fibre Reference Offer for ISPs

30th November, 2016 (7 Comments)

Openreach (BT) has today released their Final Draft Reference Offer for the new Dark Fibre Access (DFA) product, which is required by Ofcom and should give rival ISPs “physical access” to the operator’s existing fibre optic cables (i.e. allows them to “take direct control of the connection“).

Ofcom Probes Three UK Over Network Availability Blip

29th November, 2016 (0 Comments)

Mobile operator Three UK is being investigated by Ofcom after the operator voluntarily notified the UK telecoms regulator about a “temporary reduction in the availability of its network“, which may have hindered the ability of some customers to contact the Emergency Services (police, fire, ambulance etc.).

UPDATE4 Ofcom UK Forces BT to Adopt Legal Separation of Openreach

29th November, 2016 (66 Comments)

Bad news for BT today. Ofcom confirms that it has been unable to reach a voluntary agreement over the future of Openreach and would now force the operator to adopt “legal separation“. A new UK framework for the next decade of telecoms and broadband regulation will now be established.