Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Vodafone fined £4.6m for serious breaches of consumer protection rules | Business | The Guardian

Vodafone fined £4.6m for serious breaches of consumer protection rules | Business | The Guardian: "Vodafone has been fined £4.6m by Ofcom for “serious and sustained” breaches of consumer protection rules.

 It is the second-largest fine ever handed out by the regulator, after a £5.7m penalty imposed on ITV in 2008 over the “abuse” of premium-rate phone lines in a number of hit shows.

 Ofcom carried out two investigations into the telecoms company. Vodafone was fined £3.7m for taking pay-as-you go customers’ money without providing a service in return; and £925,000 for flaws in its complaints handling processes.

The penalties have to be paid to Ofcom within 20 working days. The money will be passed on to the Treasury." 'via Blog this'

Friday, October 07, 2016

Telecommunications Policy Analysis: United Kingdom – splendid isolation

Telecommunications Policy Analysis: United Kingdom – Brexit mean no more European regulatory networks, no BEREC, no RSC, no RSPG, etc … splendid isolation: "These arrangements have been voted down and end with Brexit in early 2019. There will be neither more comitology nor multi-level governance, with the exception of domestic arrangements (e.g., Joint Ministerial Committees).

From the day of Brexit, OFCOM will cease to participate in:
·        

Body of European Regulators of Electronic Communications (BEREC);
·        

Communications Committee (COCOM);
·        

Radio Spectrum Committee (RSC); and
·        

Radio Spectrum Policy Group (RSPG).

 These bodies are constituted by EU legal instruments derived from EU treaties, with the committees and groups advising EU institutions. They have coordinated the creation and implementation of policies within the EU and European Economic Area (EEA).

The only possible exception would have been the “Norway option”. This now seems extraordinarily unlikely, though it might have preserved participation or observer status in some groups." 'via Blog this'