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03|04|07

Ofcom publishes its Annual Plan for 2007/8

Ofcom today published its Annual Plan for 2007/8 which sets out Ofcom’s policy framework for the next three years and lists specific priorities for 2007/8.

The three-year policy framework and the priorities for 2007/8 were broadly supported by stakeholders during the consultation phase, which included public events around the UK attended by more than 350 people.

Policy framework for the next three years

Ofcom’s policy work for 2007/8, 2008/9 and 2009/10 will be focused on seven areas:

1. driving forward a market-based approach to spectrum;
2. promoting competition and innovation in converging markets;
3. delivering public outcomes as platforms and services converge;
4. improving industry compliance and empowering citizens and consumers;
5. moving towards more consistent legal and economic frameworks;
6. reducing regulation and minimising administrative burdens; and
7. maximising Ofcom’s impact on international policy developments.

Priorities for 2007/8

Under the seven key areas for the next three years, Ofcom has 15 priorities for 2007/8:

Driving forward a market-based approach to spectrum

1. Accelerating spectrum liberalisation and trading, allowing the market to decide how spectrum should be used, increasing competition and innovation.
2. Releasing more spectrum to allow new services to develop, enabling the development of platforms for the next generation of converged services.
3. Co-ordinating international spectrum policy by representing the UK on key international bodies.

Promoting competition and innovation in converging markets

4. Understanding wireless platforms, such as mobile television and wireless broadband, as convergence progresses.
5. Assessing new sources of market power that emerge through convergence.
6. Promoting competition in converging telecoms and broadcasting markets; central to this will be ensuring that BT Group plc complies with its Undertakings.
7. Securing competition and efficient investment in next-generation networks.

Delivering public outcomes as platforms and services converge

8. Reviewing how Ofcom protects viewers and listeners though content regulation, including the rules protecting against harm and offence.
9. Promoting access and inclusion, including research to understand better the nature of citizen and consumer concerns.
10. Maintaining diverse and high-quality content in public service broadcasting.

Improving industry compliance and empowering citizens and consumers

11. Promoting media literacy and enabling consumers to make informed choices.
12. Making enforcement of the rules designed to protect citizens and consumers more targeted and effective.
13. Ensuring that consumers can switch communications providers quickly and easily.

Moving towards more consistent legal and economic frameworks

We will examine where it is desirable to move towards greater consistency between legal and economic frameworks which govern different platforms; Ofcom will focus on this issue in 2008/9 and 2009/10.

Reducing regulation and minimising administrative burdens

14. Examining the scope for removing regulation and easing the administrative burdens on stakeholders.

Maximising Ofcom’s impact on international policy developments.

15. Participating in core EU negotiations, such as supporting the Government in concluding negotiation on the Audio-Visual Media Services Directive; and contributing to other EU negotiation, such as addressing the legislative proposals which will follow the Commission’s Content Online Communication.

See Related Items for the full Annual Plan 2007/8 and detailed information about Ofcom projects, which will be updated every quarter.

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