ofcom
Latest
The UK could require facial scans or photo IDs to view online porn
Ofcom has published a draft of age-restriction guidelines for online services that host explicit sexual content in the UK. The not yet finalized recommendations are a step toward cementing enforcement for the recently passed Online Safety Act, which requires sites and apps to prevent children from easily accessing adult content.
Microsoft will sell Activision Blizzard streaming rights to Ubisoft in attempt to win UK approval
Microsoft is significantly restructuring its Activision Blizzard merger proposal by selling cloud gaming rights for Activision Blizzard games to rival Ubisoft.
UK competition watchdog says Microsoft’s Activision merger ‘could harm’ gamers
UK's competition authority has found that Microsoft's proposed $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard could "harm UK gamers."
Big tech companies to face UK probes over cloud service, messenger and smart speaker dominance
Ofcom wants to ensure there's healthy competition in various digital markets.
Facebook, Google and other tech firms must verify identities under proposed UK law
The UK government is introducing a bill that will require Facebook, Google and other tech platforms to verify the identities of users.
UK will ban mobile carriers from selling locked handsets in 2021
Mobile operators in the UK will be banned from selling smartphones locked to their networks, according to the regulator Ofcom.
UK internet providers will lift data caps during COVID-19 pandemic
The UK is echoing others in lifting internet restrictions to keep people online during the COVID-19 pandemic. Major telecoms like BT/EE, Openreach and Virgin Media have struck an agreement that will remove "all" data caps on current landline broadband services. Mobile and fixed providers also have to offer "generous" new packages to help people stay connected (particularly the vulnerable), such as data boosts at lower prices and free calls.
UK wants telecoms regulator to police social media companies
The UK government wants to put Ofcom in charge of regulating social media. Digital secretary Nicky Morgan and home secretary Priti Patel said they were "minded" to appoint the watchdog due to its experience and "proven track record" overseeing the UK's media and telecommunications industries. It would also avoid regulatory fragmentation, Patel and Morgan said, and be quicker to set up than a new regulator. Ofcom will be granted new powers to carry out its expanded responsibilities, which will cover any platform that hosts user-generated content, including comments and forum posts. It's safe to assume that social media giants including Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and TikTok will be in its cross-hairs, then.
UK plans to ban sales of locked mobile phones
The UK's communications regulator is proposing a rule to ban carriers from selling phones that are tied to their networks. O2, Sky, Three, Virgin Mobile and some smaller carriers already offer unlocked phones, but Ofcom wants the likes of BT Mobile/EE, Tesco Mobile and Vodafone to do the same. It's also seeking better clarity for customers about whether their handset is locked.
UK lords call for central 'Digital Authority' to help regulate internet
The UK govenment's demand for stricter regulation of internet companies is only growing louder. A report from a House of Lords committee has called for the creation of a central "Digital Authority" that would watch over all the efforts to regulate the technology world, particularly online giants. While the new body would largely let individual organizations (such as Ofcom and ICO) do their work, it would coordinate those larger efforts and recommend "additional powers" if there are significant problems.
UK public broadcasters want top billing on streaming services
As streaming services and set-top boxes continue to creep up on traditional TV, public service broadcasters (PSBs) in the UK are worried about being left behind. The heads of ITV, BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5 are urging the government to require tech companies to give them prominent placement within on-demand services.
UK to let Brits tear up broadband contracts over slow speeds
There are so many factors that can affect home broadband speeds, the "up to" figures providers like to throw around are tantamount to guesswork. UK telecoms regulator Ofcom isn't a great fan of inaccurate claims, so it's forcing ISPs to change how they communicate speeds to potential customers. Companies have a whole year -- until March 1st, 2019 -- to prepare for the new rules. When they come into force, though, ISPs will be required to provide realistic speeds a customer can expect at their specific address at peak times, as well as a guaranteed minimum speed. What's more, if speeds drop below that minimum, companies have 30 days to rectify the shortfall or customers can walk away from their contracts without incurring early exit penalties.
Three and EE lose High Court fight over 5G spectrum auction
Ofcom has fended off two legal challenges that threatened to delay the UK's next mobile spectrum auction. Three and BT-owned EE had filed separate complaints over a proposed bidding war that was scheduled to take place later this year. Three argues that Ofcom should be stricter with its spectrum caps, limiting EE's spending power and potential allocation, while BT believes that there should be no restrictions whatsoever. The High Court disagreed with both today, believing that Ofcom had done its homework and properly modelled how different caps would affect the outcome of the bid and, subsequently, consumer choice in the UK.
Switching mobile operators could soon begin with a text
Ofcom has introduced new rules that should make it easier to switch mobile networks in the UK. At the moment, cancelling a contract and setting up a new one is complicated and time consuming, especially if you want to keep your old number. You have to ring both providers, settle any outstanding debts and then try to wrangle a single switchover date — otherwise you're double-paying for a while, or going without a phone for a few days. To fix the problem, Ofcom is introducing an "auto-switch" system that forces providers to sort out the finer details on their own.
Ofcom pressured to fix lingering mobile not-spots
Last week, Ofcom published its annual assessment of UK mobile and broadband coverage. It was generally positive: so-called "superfast" internet (classified as 30Mbit/s download speeds or higher) is now available in 91 percent of homes, up from 89 percent last year. Similarly, mobile coverage has risen across the UK. But in a scathing letter, Lord Andrew Adonis, chairman of the National Infrastructure Commission, has called on the regulator to draft an action plan "for radically improving mobile coverage in the short to medium term." In short, he believes progress is too slow and carriers should be pressured to do more.
Vodafone customers given second chance to ditch contracts scot-free
Some Vodafone customers are being given a second chance to ditch their mobile contracts without incurring any nasty early exit penalties, after the provider changed the way roaming fees work earlier this year. Ahead of roaming charges being abolished across the EU, Vodafone announced in April a flat £5 per day fee for using your regular allowances abroad in 60 "roam-further" destinations outside the EU. While that's a pretty common way of doing things these days, as you might know, carriers have to offer affected customers a get-out-of-jail-free card for changing the state of play mid-contract.
UK ISPs will automatically compensate customers for shoddy service
A poor level of customer service shown by your broadband or landline provider is like a late train. You know you could probably argue your way into some nominal refund, but it just seems more trouble than it's worth. The issue with that is there's no incentive to ensure the train runs on time, so earlier this year, Ofcom floated the idea that telecoms providers should compensate customers for poor service automatically, no complaints necessary. Today the regulator announced that BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Virgin Media and Zen Internet -- which cover 90 percent of broadband and landline customers between them -- have "agreed" to be part of such a scheme.
Fox News impartiality breaches could threaten Sky merger
As Fox waits to find out whether it will be allowed to complete its merger with broadcasting giant Sky, UK media regulator Ofcom today delivered a fresh blow to proceedings. The watchdog confirmed that two Fox News shows, hosted separately by Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, breached a number of broadcasting regulations, before the channel was removed from British TV screens in August.
BT is slashing the price of line rental for landline-only customers
A BT landline costs £19 per month, and that's without any kind of free calls package added on top. The cost is easy to ignore when it's absorbed into a TV and broadband package for £38.49 per month, but customers that only have a landline end up paying over half that price for just the one, essential utility. From April 2018, however, landline-only customers on BT -- of which there are around a million -- will start paying just £12 per month for line rental. That £7 per month price cut equates to a saving of £84 per year, and you can thank telecoms regulator Ofcom for that.
Ofcom orders BBC to show more original British productions
Ofcom has told the BBC it needs to show more programming developed inside Britain. The new rules, part of a revamped operating licence, will require the broadcaster to show at least 75 percent original content on BBC One, Two and Four. From 6 to 10:30pm, or peak hours, that figure will rise to 90 percent on BBC One and Two. The change will effectively ban the BBC from showing movies and TV series bought from international broadcasters during the evening. Instead, the organisation will have to rely on BBC commissions to retain and grow its audience share at night.
