Is Ofcom a government agency?

The Office of Communications (Welsh: Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau), commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.

Is Ofcom independent?

The UK should ensure the same institutional standards to defend free speech as it does in other areas of media regulation: OFCOM’s independence is central to that. The United Kingdom is a member of the Council of Europe. It allows the regulatory authority the space to take decisions based on the available evidence.

Who is Ofcom and what do they do?

Ofcom is the regulator for the communications services that we use and rely on each day. We make sure people get the best from their broadband, home phone and mobile services, as well as keeping an eye on TV and radio.

How does Ofcom work?

Ofcom regulates television, radio and video-on-demand sectors, fixed-line telecoms, mobiles and postal services, plus the airwaves over which wireless devices operate. Ofcom is funded by fees from industry for regulating broadcasting and communications networks, and grant-in-aid from the Government.

Who is Ofcom accountable to?

2.1 Ofcom is responsible for providing Parliament (including its Select Committees) with such information as may be requested concerning its policy decisions and actions. Ofcom is under a specific duty to present its annual report to the Secretary of State, who then lays it before Parliament.

What power does Ofcom have?

Ofcom is the regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries. It regulates the TV and radio sectors, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, plus the airwaves over which wireless devices operate. Ofcom works with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport.

Is Ofcom part of the civil service?

Other public servants, but not civil servants, work for public corporations such as the BBC, Channel 4, the Bank of England, the communications regulator Ofcom, the Civil Aviation Authority, British Nuclear Fuels, and the British Waterways Board, who run the canals etc.

How is Ofcom funded?

Ofcom is funded by fees from industry for regulating broadcasting and communications networks, and grant-in-aid from the UK Government for undertaking concurrent competition regulation and managing radio spectrum.

Who owns the UK media 2021?

According to a 2021 report by the Media Reform Coalition, 90\% of the UK-wide print media is owned and controlled by just three companies, Reach plc (formerly Trinity Mirror), News UK and DMG Media.

Who really owns American media?

CBS News, owned by the CBS Corporation, is in turn owned by National Amusements. National Amusements has an 80\% voting majority and also owns the major company Viacom, the company behind Paramount Pictures, Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon, BET, CMT, and VH1….Index of US Mainstream Media Ownership.

	15
Ownership	Publicly Traded
Medium	Print and Digital

What does Ofcom regulate?

Ofcom is the communications regulator in the UK.We regulate the TV, radio and video-on-demand sectors, fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services, plus the airwaves over which wireless devices operate.

When did Ofcom take over from Postcomm?

On 1 October 2011, Ofcom took over responsibility for regulating the postal services industry from the Postal Services Commission (Postcomm). In April 2015, Ofcom announced that telephone companies would have to provide customers with a set charge for the cost of calling numbers starting 084, 087 and 09.

Who is the current Chief Executive of Ofcom?

The current Chief Executive is Melanie Dawes who was appointed on 12 February 2020. The first chairman of Ofcom (2002–2009) was David Currie, Dean of Cass Business School at City University and a life peer under the title Lord Currie of Marylebone.

Does Ofcom have jurisdiction over radio and TV channels broadcast abroad?

Ofcom’s jurisdiction does not cover television and radio channels which are broadcast in the UK but licensed abroad. In 2012 Ofcom lodged a complaint with the Dutch media regulator regarding the content of adult chat television channels which are broadcast in the UK but licensed in the Netherlands.