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Annual Report 2004/05

Introduction

This is the first annual report from Ofcom’s Advisory Committee on Older and Disabled People (ACOD), constituted under section 21(1) of the Communications Act 2003. The Committee first met in May 2004, and completed its first annual cycle of 4 meetings in January 2005.

The Committee is Chaired by Mike Whitlam CBE, and has ten other members who reflect the diversity of older and disabled people and who have a wide range of expertise and interests across all the areas that Ofcom regulates.

Current membership is listed on the Ofcom website www.ofcom.org.uk

Ofcom’s Content Board Member, Kevin Carey, and Consumer Panel Member, Bob Twitchin attended each Advisory Committee meeting as observers. The Committee welcomed the synergy this offered with the Content Board and Consumer Panel and is looking to extend this joint working with the National Advisory Committees in 2005/06.

Priorities and Projects

Given the very high workload Ofcom had in 2004/05 and the fact that a number of key projects were already underway by the time ACOD first met, the Chair and Members set about identifying the key priorities and projects that would impact on older and disabled people. The Committee felt it was vital that they managed their time and resources effectively to ensure they had the greatest possible impact on policy development. ACOD developed a forward plan, designed to cover the major issues affecting older and disabled people and also identify future issues that could feed into the next Ofcom Annual Plan. ACOD established a number of working subgroups would be set up on key issues, such as the review of Universal Service Obligations, the Public Service Broadcasting Review and Ofcom’s Annual Plan 2005/06, to develop detailed responses for consideration by the full Committee.

In between the regular quarterly meetings, the Chair and Members have engaged regularly through email on a number of issues and fed in views to developing policies and issues. The Committee engaged in a team-building exercise and will this year receive diversity training.

Accessible Television

The major project for ACOD in its first year was Ofcom’s first Codes on Television Access Services and Electronic Programme Guides. At its first meeting, the Committee made a number of recommendations on the draft Code on Television Access Services, particularly regarding annual interim targets, the assessment of costs for provision and scheduling, to the Ofcom Board. These recommendations were accepted in full and implemented in the final published Code. ACOD has continued to monitor the application of the Code and will feed into its first review, expected in 2005/06.

With regard to the Code on Electronic Programme Guides (EPGs), ACOD raised concerns about operators responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act and the need for easily accessible equipment, such as remote controls, to assist older and disabled people. The Committee will continue to monitor this issue, particularly given the importance of EPGs as a gateway for digital television and radio services.

Public Service Television Broadcasting Review

ACOD submitted a response to the Phase 2 consultation of the year-long review of public service television broadcasting, focusing on the need to ensure the inclusion of older and disabled people both in terms of programming and in employment, both onscreen and behind the scenes. The Committee felt that Ofcom’s proposal for a Public Service Publisher (PSP) offered some interesting possibilities for being a beacon of accessibility for viewers, as well as potentially providing a channel for programming of interest to older and disabled people. The Committee supported Ofcom’s proposal to further develop this work.

Review of the Universal Service Obligation

Another major area of interest for ACOD this year has been the review of Universal Service Obligations (USO) on telecommunications providers. The Committee was regularly updated on the development of the USO policy and co-hosted with the Consumer Panel a stakeholder consultation event for older and disabled people on the draft proposals. ACOD’s own submission to the consultation was detailed and offered suggestions on improvements to the current text relay service operated to benefit deaf and hard-of-hearing people. It also set out suggestions for possible future developments in telecoms accessibility that could be covered by the Universal Service Order. The Committee called for the setting up of a Universal Service Fund to pay for provision and also wished to see Broadband fall under the remit of USO at the earliest opportunity.

Annual Plan

ACOD was pleased to have an early opportunity to feed in to Ofcom’s Annual Plan for 2005/06, at the Strategy Day organised by the Ofcom Board. The Committee then went on to offer a substantive response to the draft Annual Plan, which was consulted on in early 2005.

In the coming year, the Committee will be looking to increase its engagement with policy development across Ofcom and will be prioritising a number of key projects These include digital switchover, as ACOD believes that ensuring the needs of older and disabled people is key to a successful transition from analogue to digital television. The Committee will also be undertaking an engagement plan to build links with external stakeholders across the UK and ACOD members will be attending meetings of the Ofcom Advisory Committees for Nations and Regions to help inform their work.

The PDF version of this document is available via the link below.

• ACOD Annual Report 2004/05 [pdf]

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