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MPs want Sky and Virgin Media to make public channels more visible
Pay-TV providers in the UK may be forced to do more to promote the on-demand content of public service broadcasters (PSBs) on their platforms in the future, under new rules being discussed by MPs. The Digital Economy Bill, announced earlier this year in the Queen's Speech before being published a few months later, sets out obligations for broadband coverage/speeds and writes a requirement for age gates on porn sites into law, among other things. It's currently making its way through the House of Commons, and yesterday members of the Public Bill Committee proposed a new amendment that would ensure PSBs like the BBC gained more visibility on pay-TV platforms -- a direct reaction to our changing viewing habits.
Vodafone fined £4.6m after PAYG top-up fails
Vodafone has been slapped with a hefty £4.6 million fine after failing to process customer top-ups. UK regulator Ofcom found that 10,452 pay-as-you-go (PAYG) customers weren't given a combined £150,000 in credit between December 2013 and April 2015. The affected users were relying on "E Top-Up" methods, including cash machines, direct debit, and E Top-Up swipe cards. According to Ofcom, the embarrassing snafu occurred after Vodafone changed its internal billing systems in 2010. The company "failed to act quickly enough" to address the problems and only stopped "customers from paying money for nothing" after Ofcom intervened.
Ofcom wants your help mapping Britain's mobile networks
Ofcom already has a handy online tool for checking mobile and broadband coverage across the UK, but sometimes the bigger picture can hide the little differences. In addition to the regulator's own data and that supplied by providers, Ofcom wants to build a more detailed map of mobile network and WiFi performance using crowdsourced, user data. To that end, it's launched the Ofcom Mobile Research Android app, which runs in the background and collects data on call reliability, signal strength, connection speeds, app use, and of course, location.
Vodafone now blocks unwanted calls before they reach you
Nuisance callers are having a tough time of it already this year, with Ofcom banning them from withholding numbers and helping to create a simple, text registration option for the UK's leave-me-alone database. But Vodafone's decided to go even further, today announcing that it has begun blocking unwanted calls at the network level, so they don't even reach your phone in the first place.
Fox News broke UK broadcasting rules with pro-Brexit views
UK communications regulator Ofcom has ruled that Fox News broke broadcasting guidelines when it aired a program discussing the EU referendum on the day of the vote. Your World with Neil Cavuto, a show produced in the US, was broadcast in the UK at 9pm on June 23rd, one hour before the polls had closed. During the business and financial news program, Cavuto said:
Ofcom is happy with how much live football is shown on TV
Almost two years after it waded into the debate about an apparent lack of live football on TV, UK communications regulator Ofcom has decided it's time to tap out. The watchdog announced today that it will close its probe, which was carried out under the Competition Act 1998 and assessed whether the Premier League was restricting competition by limiting available matches, after the League decided to increase the number of live games from 168 to 190 from the 2019-20 season onwards.
Fix Britain's Internet: ISPs campaign to tear BT and Openreach apart
After reviewing the tangled relationship between BT and its broadband infrastructure subsidiary Openreach for more than a year, Ofcom yesterday put forward its plan to create a greater distinction between the two businesses. Under the proposals, Openreach would become "a legally separate company," whilst remaining under the BT Group umbrella; a move Ofcom says is the most cost-effective and least disruptive way of giving Openreach greater independence. But -- surprise, surprise -- BT competitors, which are also Openreach customers, believe Ofcom hasn't gone far enough.
Ofcom orders BT to make Openreach a 'legally separate company'
Ofcom has drawn up a plan to further distance BT and its subsidiary, Openreach, without breaking them up entirely. The UK regulator is now proposing that Openreach, which manages the bulk of the nation's broadband and telephone infrastructure, become "a legally separate company" within the BT Group, with its own board and directors. Most of these appointments would, under Ofcom's vision, be non-executives and "not affiliated to (the) BT Group in any way." They would, however, be selected and removed by BT, following consultation with Ofcom.
MPs tell BT to get its 'house in order' or face Openreach split
In the latest development in the BT/Openreach saga, a panel of cross-party MPs has called for the provider to be split from its broadband division if it doesn't invest significantly more in UK infrastructure. In a report, the Culture, Media and Sport Committee argues that Openreach could be spending "hundreds of millions of pounds a year," but BT's current approach is "sacrificing shareholder value and public benefits."
John Oliver's Brexit takedown won't air in the UK until after EU vote
As Britain gears up to vote in the EU referendum later this week, broadcasters are constantly working to ensure their coverage remains impartial. One such company is Sky, which has this week been forced to delay the latest instalment of John Oliver's Last Week Tonight HBO show. Why? Because it contains a 15-minute diatribe on why the UK should remain part of Europe. Instead of airing the programme after Game of Thrones on Sky Atlantic on Monday night, like it does usually, Sky has pushed it back until 10:10pm on Thursday, just after the polls close. Social media users are up in arms about the decision, but in reality, Sky appears to be playing everything by the book.
Three asks Ofcom to limit BT in next spectrum auction
Ofcom is expected to auction off fresh slices of mobile spectrum later this year, which carriers will use to improve speeds on their networks amid our ever-increasing demand for data. It'll be a significant event in the mobile world, with the spectrum on offer being the equivalent of roughly 75 percent of the capacity released in 2013 to pave the way for the launch of the UK's first 4G services. Ofcom hasn't set a formal date yet, but already Three's CEO David Dyson is calling on the regulator to protect his network's interests so it can remain competitive with its larger rivals.
Brits can now send a text to stop cold calls
Ofcom, the UK's communications regulator, and the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) are making it simpler for Brits to avoid unwanted and unprompted sales calls. A new "text-to-register" option means you can type "TPS" followed by your email address, to 78070 to get on the UK's official "Do Not Call" database. Once your number has been accepted, companies will be banned from contacting you with annoying, unsolicited pitches. Oh, and if you're wondering, Ofcom says your email address is necessary to verify your identity, should you need to file a complaint.
Switching mobile carriers will become much easier this year
There are several reasons to remain allied to one mobile network operator or another. Loyalty rewards such as contract discounts and special upgrade terms aside, switching providers can just be a bit of a faff. UK telecoms regulator Ofcom doesn't want this to deter you from shopping around, which is why it's going to make the process of jumping between carriers a whole lot easier. It's been on Ofcom's agenda since last summer, shortly after the regulator introduced a greatly simplified way of switching between broadband suppliers. Today, Ofcom's announced its formal proposals, volunteering a couple of different options it's settled on to the hassle out of moving providers.
BBC supervision should be transferred to Ofcom, says report
At the end of 2016, the BBC will get its next Royal Charter, giving it set of rules and expectations it must meet as a public service broadcaster over the next 10 years. The UK government put a call out last year for feedback on what the public, and also its rivals, think the Beeb should do to best serve licence fee payers. The BBC has already set out ways it can cut costs and streamline operations, but a new independent report from David Clementi, the former chairman of Virgin Money and Prudential, has called for the broadcaster to be split from its overseeing body, the BBC Trust, and have that power transferred to communications regulator Ofcom.
Ofcom won't split BT and Openreach, but there will be changes
For almost a year, communications regulator Ofcom has been conducting an investigation into whether BT and its Openreach broadband arm should be split up. Rival companies like Sky, TalkTalk and even the Labour party joined calls for it to be spun out in order to improve connectivity across Britain, and today they got their answer: Openreach is safe, at least for now. In an announcement this morning, Ofcom confirmed that while BT and Openreach would be allowed to operate in tandem, tighter controls are needed to ensure that its networks offer the best service to customers.
Three vows to fix prices to ensure O2 merger is approved
The proposed merger of UK carriers Three and O2 is far from a done deal. The European Commission, which is conducting the official review, telecoms regulator Ofcom and the UK's Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) have all voiced similar concerns: the union will have a significant and likely negative impact on competition in the mobile space. With the merger under threat, Chairman of Three UK Canning Fok has now made a number of promises to grease the wheels, including a five-year freeze on the price of minutes, texts and megabytes across both networks if the deal is approved.
UK ISPs told adverts must feature clearer pricing
If you've ever gone on the hunt for a new internet provider, you'll know how hard it can be to glean pricing information from adverts. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), the UK's advertising watchdog, agrees it's a very real problem and has today issued new guidelines that it believes will stop providers burying their service costs and duping consumers with their marketing.
Sky to turn porn filters on for all new broadband customers
Soon, Sky's home broadband will come with its adult content blocker switched on by default. From the moment a new package is "activated," subscribers will find that the company's Broadband Shield is enabled with child-friendly settings. That means only sites suitable for 13-year-olds or younger will be accessible before 9pm, followed by anything compatible with its 18-rating thereafter. To change or turn off these settings, you'll need to dive into your MySky account and set your preferences manually.
Teens have trouble telling between Google ads and search links
You may have have a keen eye for that golden "ad" marker when you're searching Google, but not everyone is so astute. UK watchdog Ofcom has posted a study showing that just 31 percent of kids aged 12 to 15 can tell the difference between a Google search ad and the real results just below them. They also tend to be overly trusting, as 19 percent of those young teens believe that all online results must be true. Not surprisingly, the figures get worse with younger children -- just 16 percent of those aged 8 to 11 know whether they're seeing an ad or a result.
Sky told it doesn't have to give BT a discount on Sky Sports
BT Sport is no longer the David to Sky Sports' Goliath. When it launched in August 2013, the underdog TV service weighed heavily on less popular football leagues such as Serie A in Italy and Ligue 1 in France. But BT has slowly expanded, spending large amounts for the Champions League, the Europa League and a highly sought-after batch of Premier League fixtures. That's triggered Ofcom to re-evaluate what's known as a "wholesale must-offer" between Sky and BT. Its final decision, announced today, means that Sky is no longer forced to offer its flagship sports channels, Sky Sports 1 and 2, at a discount to BT.
