The telecom watchdog of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will issue a licence for the mobile digital TV service in the country by the middle of 2008. The UAE Telecommunication Regulatory Authority (TRA) have appointed a consultant to advise it on licensing issues and procedures, according to local newspapers. TRA is to issue the licence […]

Channel Four has been fined £1.5 million by media watchdog Ofcom for misconduct involving phone-in competitions on popular programmes Richard and Judy and Deal or No Deal. Viewers were urged to call a premium number after contestants had already been chosen on Richard and Judy. Deal or No Deal selected competition finalists in a way […]

Funding received by the BBC via the licence fee could soon be diminished following possible reforms ordered by media regulator Ofcom. One option under review could lead to the licence fee being sliced up so that money could be channeled to other organisations to spend on “public service” web and television ventures. Though the BBC […]

UK regulator Ofcom is taking over premium-rate phone regulator PhonepayPlus (formerly Icstis) to take a tighter rein on the call-TV industry after a year of scandals. It's one measure to emerge following Ofcom's review of the premium-rate sector after all the main broadcasters were embroiled in instances of charging callers to competition lines despite not […]

Ratings giant Nielsen wants to be the policeman in the battle over rights to video posted online. It is rolling out a new service that aims to ensure that video is distributed and viewed on the Web only in ways sanctioned by its owners. It is hoping to offer the service called Digital Media Manager […]

The US Federal Communications Commission is being investigated by the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight, prompted by criticisms of the FCC’s processes and what one official described as a “breakdown in proper procedure.” The committee informed FCC chairman Kevin Martin and the other commissioners of concerns saying that it wanted the chairman to […]

TiVo shares gained 25 per cent as the US Patent and Trademark Office upheld TiVo’s time-warp patent covering the company’s DVR technology. As reported, EchoStar had requested that the patent be re-examined in an effort to have an earlier patent infringement judgement against the company overturned. TiVo officials said the company is extremely pleased the […]

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has suggested that both telecom operators and cable TV operators should be allowed to offer IPTV. In a draft recommendation, the telecom regulator has also said that the Cable TV Act should be amended to allow broadcasters to provide signals to all distributors of TV channels such as […]

Coming off a setback on its attempt to trigger tighter regulation, the head of the Federal Communications Commission has moved quickly to propose the FCC adopt a rule that would prevent Comcast, the nation's biggest cable company, from becoming larger. Officials said that Kevin Martin notified other commissioners this week of the agenda for the […]

Kevin Martin, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has backed down, for now, from his effort to expand regulatory control over the cable industry after failing to secure backing from fellow regulators. The FCC had planned to vote on a report that found companies such as Comcast and Time Warner Cable had reached a […]