Ofcom recently announced some big changes in the UK telecoms world, which will begin in 2017. This includes the long awaited announcement about the future of BT and Openreach, and changes to BBC governance. If you want to stay ahead of Ofcom changes and how they may affect the telecom needs of your business, purchase an 0808 number, get an 03 number, or buy another other number range from us and we’ll do our best to keep you abreast of the latest dealings.
Nuisance Calls
Ofcom is continuing to work with bodies such as the Information Commissioners Office to prevent nuisance calls, and prosecute those who break the law. At the moment this may seem to be more of an uphill struggle, but it does mean that companies should be careful about where they purchase contact list bundles from. Companies should also be aware of their legal responsibilities with regards to data protection, and how to handle requests to be put on “do not contact” lists.
Overall the changes from Ofcom will hopefully lead to better deals for consumers and more reliable connections for both businesses and individuals. The separation of Openreach from BT is the biggest change instituted by Ofcom in quite some time, and it will be interesting to see what changes are brought about as part of this.
Changes to Openreach
Openreach is the “arm” of BT that owns the broadband network and is responsible for repairs and upgrades. BT’s ownership is a carryover from the days before privatisation, BT still carries out the majority of infrastructure work for the government, and that includes using Openreach to provide internet services.
However other telecoms companies in the UK have long considered this to be a conflict of interest. Their services have to be provided via Openreach, since they own the network. Therefore if the company you purchase internet through finds that the network has a fault, it has to be corrected via Openreach. If Openreach is owned by BT, can other companies guarantee that problems with their line will be dealt with in a timely manner? BT may not give their full attention to problems for other companies in the hope that more people will get fed up, and potentially become direct BT customers instead.
Regulating the BBC
From April 2017 Ofcom will also become responsible for the regulation of the BBC. This means that Ofcom will now assess the work carried out by the BBC, and investigate complaints about impartiality and accuracy. Ofcom already carried responsibility for TV and radio through setting the “Broadcasting Code“, which all channels and providers sign up to. However the BBC was considered to be out of their remit for investigating complaints that violated this Code. As part of the BBC’s new “Royal Charter“, which sets out how they will be managed, Ofcom will now become the Corporation’s new external regulator.