Note of the 3rd Meeting of the Advisory Committee Scotland (ACS), 16 September 2004

1. Apologies for Absence

The committee wanted to pass on its warmest wishes to Peter Black, a former member, in his new role as Telecoms Adjudicator with Ofcom.

2. Minutes of the last meeting

In terms of points of accuracy the committee were content. With respect to Item 6 – Ofcom Radio Review, members were advised that the timing was likely to change but it would come back to the committee to get their views.

It was agreed that the chair sign off the minutes on behalf of the committee.

3. Procedures for the Advisory Committees for the Nations and Regions

Ofcom was considering the forward plan for 2005/06 on 7 October. The Board would be looking at the issue of committee chairs early in 2005 and would be seeking the views of members.

A paper from Ofcom Scotland is to be circulated to all members to update on protocols and procedures.

4. Consumer Panel six monthly figures

The key themes for the Panel were an open and transparent process; assess strands for prioritising and the current research project for the Consumer Panel. Interviewees had been recruited over a longer term basis to gain a better insight into the interactions between lifestyle and communications.

It was essential not to duplicate work but the Consumer Panel would be interested in any issue that ACS felt strongly about and this could be fed in via the chair.

5. Consumer Panel announces priorities for its work

Points relating to item 5 had already been covered in the previous discussion.

6. Digital Switchover (DSO)

Issues raised included homes with multiple TV sets, the continued sale of analogue sets by retailers, support for elderly people and those on low incomes to make the switch and the lack of public understanding of what digital is and what it means to them. The costs of converting to digital were explained and that these had significantly reduced in recent years. In summary the committee felt that they key issues were a need to ensure consumer understanding, support for elderly people and those on low incomes, a need to assess the costs for Scotland which may be higher given the unique geography and larger uncovered areas and good information links to ensure that the right information is available.

7. Media Literacy

Media Literacy is one of Ofcom’s statutory duties and a Statement was due on the issue in November. Linkages with governments needed to be made and it was noted that progress had been made in Northern Ireland. It was noted that the education system in Scotland differed to England and it was agreed that it was important for Media Literacy to be put on the Scottish Executive’s agenda.

The issues surrounding DSO and Media Literacy were the same in terms of consumer understanding and it was agreed that in any discussion with the Scottish Executive the two should be presented together. The committee agreed that a ‘2010 Strategy’ paper be produced that would cover the issues in a coherent and joined up way, including DSO and Media Literacy.

8. Programme Codes

The committee were presented the latest knowledge on the current Ofcom consultation on the Programme Code.

The difficulty would be accessing the 67% of the broadcasting workforce who were freelance. The trade bodies were seen to be the key drivers of awareness for this group of people.

9. Public Service Broadcasting Phase 2

A special meeting of ACS would be needed to present the document to members. The release date was confirmed as 30 September and an event was planned in Glasgow to which members were invited. There would be two months after the launch for stakeholders to give Ofcom their views. The report will focus on the post-switchover era and ways to sustain PSB in the longer term. A distinct paper on PSB in the nations and regions will be published with Phase 2. There will be a series of practitioner events in Scotland, the special ACS meeting and a ‘wrap up’ event in mid to late November. The practitioner events were programmed for 4, 12 and 19 October

10. Ofcom Contact Centre Figures

The report was noted

11. Items Raised by Committee Members

There were no items raised by committee members.

12. Recruiting for Further Members

The Chair updated on progress with recruitment. Adverts would go into the press, both national and in the Borders area, to fill the vacant positions. It was hoped that the new recruits would be in place for the meeting in January 2005.

13. Arrangements for Future Meetings

Until the main board discussed AC’s in 2005 the four meeting per year structure would continue. It was agreed that the September 2005 meeting be held in Edinburgh. In terms of future agenda items DSO, broadband rollout and the 2010 strategy were already in place for the November meeting.

14. AOB

Under AOB the committee were made aware that Ofcom’s Annual Report had been released and hard copies would be sent to ACS.

The Chair drew the meeting to a close and thanked members for their attendance and contributions.