Mobile operators will begin bidding in the UK’s next spectrum auction from Friday March 12th, comms regulator Ofcom has confirmed. A total of 200 MHz of spectrum is being released through the auction, which will help improve existing mobile services and also support the continued rollout of 5G across the UK. After a pause in […]

Clare Sumner, Director of Policy at the BBC, has called for a radical reappraisal of the role the Corporation plays in shaping the wider broadcast market to inform the debate about its future. Delivering a keynote speech – The evolving role of the BBC – to the Westminster Media Forum policy conference on ‘The future […]

On February 4th, UK broadcasting regulator Ofcom revoked the transmission licence of China’s CGTN news channel alleging that it had not held a lawful licence. February 11th saw the Chinese retaliate. A statement from China’s National Radio and Television Administration (NRTA) said BBC World News’ reporting on China had “seriously violated” regulations, including that news […]

UK broadcast regulator Ofcom has imposed fines totalling £50,000 (€57,000) on Khalsa Television Limited (KTV) for serious breaches of its broadcasting rules. KTV broadcasts a range of cultural, religious and educational programmes to the UK’s Sikh community. Ofcom’s first investigation found that KTV aired a music video on three separate occasions, which indirectly encouraged Sikhs […]

Broadcast regulator Ofcom has withdrawn the licence for international English-language satellite news channel CGTN to broadcast in the UK, after its investigation concluded that the licence is wrongfully held by Star China Media Limited. In the UK, broadcasting laws made by Parliament state that broadcast licensees must have control over the licensed service – including […]

Ofcom has published the latest league tables on the complaints it receives about the UK’s major broadband, pay-TV and mobile firms. The quarterly report reveals the number of complaints made to Ofcom between July and September 2020, about firms that provide home broadband, pay-TV, landline telephone and pay-monthly mobile and pay-TV. Ofcom includes all providers […]

UK broadcast regulator Ofcom is inviting evidence on the relationship between public service broadcasters (PSBs) and the independent TV production sector. In December 2020, Ofcom published Small Screen: Big Debate (SS:BD), a consultation looking at how to strengthen and maintain public service media in the UK for the next decade and beyond. The current regulatory […]

More than one in six people are struggling to afford their broadband during the third lockdown, UK advisory charity Citizens Advice has found. This comes at a time when people are more reliant on broadband to work, teach their children and order essentials. Citizens Advice found that during the first lockdown, certain groups, including people […]

An Ofcom investigation has found that religious satellite television channel Loveworld breached broadcasting rules for the second time in a year. During the course of a 29-hour programme – The Global Day of Prayer – news content and sermons presented potentially harmful, unsubstantiated theories about the Coronavirus, without providing adequate protection for viewers. Some of […]

A report from UK comms regulator Ofcom shines a light on the innovative, emerging technologies that could shape the communications industry in the future. Communications services and the technologies used to deliver them are constantly evolving. As the UK’s communications regulator, Ofcom says it is vital it is aware of developments in the sectors it […]