Editing Ofcom (section)

==Activities==

===Television and radio===

Ofcom licenses all UK commercial television and radio services in the UK. Broadcasters must comply by the terms of their licence, or risk having it revoked. Ofcom also publishes the Broadcasting Code, a series of rules which all broadcast content on television and radio must follow.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ofcom broadcasting|url=http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/|publisher=Ofcom|access-date=4 September 2012|archive-date=16 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016155741/http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/broadcasting/|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Broadcasting Code requires that content inappropriate for children should not be broadcast between the hours of 5:30{{nbsp}}a.m. and 9:00{{nbsp}}p.m. Premium-rate film services may broadcast content equivalent to a [[British Board of Film Classification|BBFC]] 15 certificate at any time of day provided a [[Personal identification number|PIN]]-protected system is in place to restrict access to those authorised to view it.<ref>{{cite web|title=Appendix 3: International Comparison of Classification and Content Regulation – The United Kingdom|url=http://www.alrc.gov.au/publications/appendix-3-international-comparison-classification-and-content-regulation/united-kingdo|publisher=Australian Law Reform Commission|date=1 March 2012|access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref> The broadcasting of pornography with a BBFC [[R18 (British Board of Film Classification)|R18 certificate]] is not permitted.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ofcom to consider product placement on TV and radio|url=http://www.brandrepublic.com/article/476966/ofcom-consider-product-placement-tv-radio|date=25 May 2005|author=Joe Lepper|work=Brand Republic|access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref> In 2010 Ofcom revoked the licences of four free-to-air television channels for promoting adult chat services during daytime hours and transmitting content that was too sexually explicit. The companies involved were fined £157,250.<ref>{{cite news|title=Adult TV channels become first to lose licences|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11847846|date=26 November 2010|work=BBC News|access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Ofcom lodges porn TV complaint with Dutch regulator|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/17297090/ofcom-lodges-porn-tv-complaint-with-dutch-regulator|work=BBC Newsbeat|author=Del Crookes|date=8 March 2012|access-date=16 March 2016}}</ref> Based on a survey of 200 British respondents, Ofcom published in 2016 a list of about 50 words classified in four grades of offensiveness, from "milder" to "strongest".<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Ofcom Have Officially Ranked Every British Swear Word|url=http://www.look.co.uk/news/ofcom-officially-ranked-swear-words-557942|magazine=Look Magazine|author=Will Butler|date=3 October 2016}}</ref>

=== Telephone and broadband ===
Ofcom regulates the UK telecoms sector, defining and enforcing the conditions by which all mobile and fixed-line phone and broadband companies must abide. These "general conditions" are wide-ranging rules relating to matters such as telephone numbering, emergency services, sales, marketing and interconnection standards. General condition 14.4 requires communications providers to maintain a complaints handling code approved by Ofcom, and general condition 14.7 requires an approved [[alternative dispute resolution]] (ADR) scheme to be in place.<ref>thinkbroadband, [https://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/3615-ofcom-review-alternate-dispute-resolution-and-complaints-handling Ofcom review Alternative Dispute Resolution and Complaints Handling], published on 10 July 2008, accessed on 12 April 2025</ref> Ofcom's investigation unit monitors compliance with the conditions and resolves disputes between providers.

Ofcom is also the competition authority for telecoms, enforcing remedies in markets where it believes dominant operators may have a potentially harmful influence on competition or consumers. One of its most high-profile interventions was to require BT to split its wholesale and retail arms into separate companies, bringing about the creation of Openreach which supplies wholesale services to both BT Retail and competing providers.<ref name="sitefinder-ofcom">{{cite web|url=http://www.bcs.org/content/conWebDoc/18328/|title=Overview of UK telecommunications regulation|publisher=Chartered Institute for IT}}</ref>

On 1 July 2015, Ofcom made a number of changes to the way phone calls to UK service numbers would be charged. Under the new legislation, which was promoted by an information campaign entitled [[UK Calling]],<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.ukcalling.info/| title=UK Calling | publisher=Ofcom}}</ref> call charges must be clearly stated on all materials that advertise a service number. The changes came after research found that callers are often confused about service call charges, and thus can avoid calling these numbers. The July 2015 changes also saw 'freephone numbers' 0800 and 0808 become free to call from both mobiles and landlines.<ref>{{cite web|title=July number Change|url=http://www.0345-numbers.uk/uncategorized/ofcom-poster/|date=22 June 2015|website=0345 Numbers}}</ref>

In March 2016, Ofcom launched an interactive "Mobile coverage and fixed broadband checker",<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://maps.ofcom.org.uk/check-coverage/|title=Mobile coverage and fixed broadband checker|website=maps.ofcom.org.uk|access-date=4 April 2016}}</ref> allowing people to check mobile coverage and broadband speeds via their post code.

===Spectrum licensing and protection===

Ofcom is responsible for the management, regulation, assignment and licensing of the [[electromagnetic spectrum]] in the UK, and licenses portions of it for use in television and radio broadcasts, mobile phone transmissions,<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Ultimate Guide to 5G {{!}} Bytes Digital |url=https://www.bytesdigital.co.uk/guides/the-ultimate-guide-to-5g |access-date=2022-12-06 |website=www.bytesdigital.co.uk |language=en}}</ref> private communications networks, wireless devices and so on.  The process of licensing varies depending on the type of use required.  Some licences simply have to be applied and paid for; other commercial licences are subject to a bidding process.  Most of the procedures in place have been inherited from the systems used by the previous regulators. However, Ofcom may change some of these processes in future.

Ofcom protects the radio spectrum in a number of ways:

* Working within international organisations ([[ITU]], [[European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations|CEPT]] and [[Body of European Regulators of Electronic Communications|BEREC]]).
* Licensing UK-controlled commercial radio spectrum; the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] controls its own spectrum.  Within the international framework for frequency use; Ofcom liaises through the UK Government to produce the UKFAT (UK Frequency Allocation Table). The current table was produced in 2017.
* Investigate and, when necessary, carry out enforcement activities to clear interference or illegal use from the spectrum.  Until June 2010 Ofcom investigated all interference cases within the UK.  Interference reporting has now been transferred to the BBC.  This contract specifically excludes any requirement to investigate interference relating to AM radio reception.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.radioandtvhelp.co.uk/interference/rtis_info/about_us|title=About Us|publisher=Radio & Television Investigation Service|date=8 April 2013|access-date=8 April 2013|archive-date=9 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409100053/http://radioandtvhelp.co.uk/interference/rtis_info/about_us|url-status=dead}}</ref> Commercial and spectrum licence holders report to Ofcom and in all cases illegal ("[[pirate radio|pirate]]") radio operations are still reported to Ofcom.

===Postal services===
In October 2010 the government announced plans for Ofcom to inherit the functions of [[Postal Services Commission|Postcomm]] as part of a wider set of public service sell-off measures.<ref>{{cite news |title=Ofcom to cut staff by a fifth
 |author=Tim Bradshaw |newspaper=[[Financial Times]] |date=21 October 2010 |url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/93ac5de2-dd25-11df-9236-00144feabdc0.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/93ac5de2-dd25-11df-9236-00144feabdc0.html |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription }}</ref> Following the [[Postal Services Act 2011]] regulatory responsibility for postal services transferred to Ofcom on 1 October 2011, with its primary duty to maintain the UK's six-day-a-week universal postal service.

===Consultations===

Ofcom makes extensive use of consultations with industry and the public to help it make decisions based upon the evidence presented. Consultation processes begin with publishing documents on its website,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/ |title=List of Ofcom consultations |publisher=Stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk |date=24 May 2010 |access-date=2 May 2012}}</ref> asking for views and responses. If the document is perceived to be long and complicated, a [[plain English]] [[wiktionary:summary|summary]] is usually published as well. A period, usually of 10 weeks, is allowed for interested persons, companies or organisations to send in their responses to the consultation.

After this consultation period, Ofcom publishes all the responses on its website, excluding any personal or confidential information. Ofcom then prepares a summary of the responses received, and uses this information as a basis for its decisions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ofcom – Official Website – Homepage |url=http://www.ofcom.org.uk/}}</ref>