Ref: 46/00
Date: 22 June 2000

Proposals to encourage greater involvement by consumer groups and the telecoms industry to protect consumers’ interests have been published today by Oftel.

Oftel’s proposals look at areas where there could be a greater role for consumer and industry groups to promote initiatives such as information on pricing, contract terms, complaint handling and dispute resolution.

The proposals are set out in the consultation document ‘Encouraging self- and co-regulation in telecoms to benefit consumers’ published today by Oftel.

Commenting on the proposals, David Edmonds Director General of Telecommunications said today:

"Although consumers are benefiting from increasingly competitive markets, regulation is still needed in some areas. There is scope for greater self-regulation by the industry, underpinned where necessary by Oftel’s powers.

"This does not mean that Oftel is withdrawing from its role of protecting the interests of consumers. Regulation must be properly focused in a rapidly changing market – and involvement by the industry in promoting consumer interests can help consumers get a better deal, because it can be more responsive to their needs.

"Consumer groups also need to be involved to ensure that action taken by companies meets the needs of consumers.

"Oftel’s role in co-regulation will be to intervene if necessary to ensure that consumers are adequately protected and that informal regulatory initiatives are successful.

"The telecoms industry already agrees technical standards for how different networks link up, publishes comparable quality of service and price comparisons and runs schemes to protect consumers from unsolicited marketing calls and faxes.

"We want all those with a stake in the telecoms market to identify other areas and initiatives where the industry, consumer groups and Oftel can work together to ensure that consumers are adequately protected."

Note to Editors

‘Encouraging self- and co-regulation in telecoms to benefit consumers’ is available on the Oftel web site at www.oftel.gov.uk/about/self0600.htm. Copies are available to the media from Oftel Press Office on 020 7634 8991 and to the public from Oftel's Research and Intelligence Unit on 020 7634 8761.

Back to Press Release Index