The BBC has doubled its data staff from 139 to 277 over the past three years, ramping up its investment in data, according to official figures. The data was obtained via the Freedom of Information Act (FOI), and analysed by the Parliament Street Think Tank, observing the data spending of the BBC across the headcount […]
nexfibre has released a report, UK Fibre: A Fork In the Road, outlining a series of recommendations for Ofcom’s upcoming Telecoms Access Review (TAR) with the objective of maintaining investment in the roll out of full fibre in the UK, promoting sustainable competition in the market and restraining anticompetitive behaviour from the dominant operator. The […]
In 2024, complaints from viewers and listeners about content broadcast on television and radio were in line with last year’s volumes, reports Ofcom. Taken together, the top 10 most complained about programmes represents 61 per cent of the total volume of complaints this year. Two programmes were responsible for nearly half of all complaints. Complaints […]
Ofcom has written to the BBC confirming that it will carry out full BBC Competition Assessments (BCAs) of the Corporation’s radio expansion plans. In November 2024, the BBC published proposals to launch four new DAB+ stations: Radio 1 Dance, Radio 1 Anthems, a Radio 2 extension, and Radio 3 Unwind. The Corporation also published proposals […]
As part of its role to support and strengthen the quality of public service broadcasting (PSB), regulator Ofcom has a duty to review periodically how television services provided by the BBC, ITV, STV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and S4C have delivered against the PSB purposes and objectives set by Parliament. This includes, among other things, […]
Tech firms are now legally required to start taking action to tackle criminal activity on their platforms in the UK, and make them safer by design. Ofcom has published its first-edition codes of practice and guidance on tackling illegal harms (four months ahead of schedule) – such as terror, hate, fraud, child sexual abuse and […]
UK regulator Ofcom is consulting on proposed changes to the annual licence fees (ALFs) paid by mobile network operators to use certain spectrum bands. It charges mobile network operators annual licence fees for the use of three spectrum bands (900 MHz, 1800 MHz and 2100 MHz). They typically come into effect after a mobile operator’s […]
Average prices for fixed broadband and landline bundles have generally fallen in real terms between 2023 and 2024, with the fastest packages seeing the biggest drop, according to regulator Ofcom’s annual pricing trends report. Over the last year, average standard ‘list’ prices for ‘dual-play’ ultrafast (300 Mbit/s or more) and landline deals fell by 9 […]
UK media regulator Ofcom is publishing two consultations as it begins to implement new laws under the Media Act 2024. These new laws are designed to protect public service broadcasting while fostering innovation, so that UK audiences can enjoy the services, video and programmes they love. Ofcom is implementing the new rules as quickly as […]
AST SpaceMobile has been licensed by media regulator Ofcom to start testing its satellite-based ‘direct-to-cellular’ (D2C) service in the UK. The licence is for six months starting on December 20th. Other national regulators have approved similar tests ahead of full service introductions. AST is working with Vodafone in the UK as its telco partner, although […]