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Ofcom
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{{Short description|British government agency}} {{Other uses|Ministry of Communications}} {{For|the Federal Office of Communications in Switzerland, also known as OFCOM|Federal Office of Communications}} {{For|the executive arm of Communications Authority in Hong Kong|Office of the Communications Authority}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}} {{Use British English|date=September 2017}} {{Infobox organisation | name = Office of Communications | logo = Ofcom logo.svg | image = Riverside House, Bankside 01.jpg | caption = Ofcom offices at Riverside House, Bankside, next to Southwark Bridge in London | image_border = | size = | abbreviation = Ofcom | formation = {{Start date and age|29 December 2003}} | type = [[Statutory corporation#United Kingdom|Statutory corporation]] | status = Created by Office of Communications Act 2002<ref name="OoCA2002">{{cite web |url= http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2002/ukpga_20020011_en_1 |title=Office of Communications Act 2002 β 2002 CHAPTER 11 |date=19 March 2002 |publisher=Office of Public Sector Information |access-date =23 February 2010}}</ref> | purpose = [[Competition regulator|Regulator and competition authority]] for broadcasting, [[internet]], [[postal services]], [[telecommunications]] and radiocommunications spectrum | headquarters = [[London]], [[England]] | location = [[London]], [[Edinburgh]], [[Cardiff]], [[Belfast]], [[Manchester]], [[Warrington]] | region_served = [[United Kingdom]] | membership = | language = [[English language|English]], [[Welsh (language)|Welsh]] | leader_title = Chairman | leader_name = [[Michael Grade]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/features-and-news/maggie-carver-appointed-ofcom-interim-chair|title=Maggie Carver appointed Ofcom interim Chair from January|date=15 December 2020|work=Ofcom|access-date=26 August 2021}}</ref> | leader_title2 = Chief Executive | leader_name2 = [[Melanie Dawes]] | main_organ = Board of Directors | staff = 902 ([[full-time equivalent]]s) | staff_year = 2019 | website = {{Official URL}} }} The '''Office of Communications''', commonly known as '''Ofcom''', is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, [[internet]], [[telecommunication]]s and [[mail|postal]] industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-ranging powers across the television, radio, telecoms, internet and postal sectors. It has a statutory duty to represent the interests of citizens and consumers by promoting competition and protecting the public from harmful or offensive material.<ref>{{cite web|title=Your rights β Ofcom|work=The Liberty Guide to Human Rights|publisher=[[Liberty (pressure group)|Liberty]]|date=12 August 2010|url=http://www.yourrights.org.uk/yourrights/right-of-free-expression/controls-on-broadcasting/ofcom.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140111014919/http://www.yourrights.org.uk/yourrights/right-of-free-expression/controls-on-broadcasting/ofcom.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=11 January 2014|access-date=11 January 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Lunt|first1=Peter|last2=Livingstone|first2=Sonia|year=2007 |chapter=Regulating markets in the interest of consumers?: on the changing regime of governance in the financial service and communications sectors.|title=Governance, consumers and citizens: agency and resistance in contemporary politics.|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|place=Basingstoke, UK|pages=139β161|url=http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/995/1/Regulating_markets_in_the_interests_of_consumers.pdf|access-date=11 January 2014}} Footnote 15.</ref> Some of the main areas Ofcom regulates are TV and radio standards, broadband and phones, video-sharing platforms online, the wireless spectrum and postal services. {{Infobox UK legislation | short_title = Office of Communications Act 2002 | type = Act | parliament = Parliament of the United Kingdom | long_title = An Act to establish a body corporate to be known as the Office of Communications; and to confer functions in relation to proposals about the regulation of communications on that body, on certain existing regulators and on the Secretary of State. | year = 2002 | citation = [[List of acts of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 2002|2002]] c. 11 | introduced_commons = | introduced_lords = | territorial_extent = | royal_assent = 19 March 2002 | commencement = | expiry_date = | repeal_date = | amends = | replaces = | amendments = | repealing_legislation = | related_legislation = | status = amended | legislation_history = | theyworkforyou = | millbankhansard = | original_text = https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2002/11/contents/enacted | revised_text = | use_new_UK-LEG = | UK-LEG_title = Office of Communications Act 2002 | collapsed = yes }} The regulator was initially established by the '''{{visible anchor|Office of Communications Act 2002}}''' (c. 11) and received its full authority from the [[Communications Act 2003]] (c. 21).<ref name="OoCA2002"/>
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