Ref: 75/00
Date: 26 September 2000

The first meeting of the new advisory committee for small businesses - Communications for Business (CfB) - takes place at Oftel today.

Key issues that will be discussed include how small businesses can make the most of the Internet and higher bandwidth services and how best to establish links with regional and national bodies representing small businesses.

Communications for Business will work alongside Oftel’s Small Business Task Force to promote the views of small businesses to Oftel and the Government.

David Edmonds, Director General of Telecommunications welcomed the work of the committee:

"The interests of small businesses will be strongly represented by Chairman Peter Sayers and his colleagues.

"CfB will perform a vital role in raising awareness of the needs of small businesses who must be encouraged to make use of the full range of services available in a fast-moving telecoms market.

"Working with Oftel’s Small Business Task Force I believe that Communications for Business can help small businesses make the most of their telecoms services."

CfB Chairman Peter Sayers said:

"We will champion the views of small business consumers and work to make sure that the Government’s future plans for regulating communications include effective representation of their interests."

The Director General of Telecommunications appointed the Chairman and three new members to re-instate CfB in July 2000.

Notes to editors

1. The new CfB Chairman Peter Sayers is a member of Consumer Communications for England (CCE), the advisory committee on telecommunications for England. He is a designer who currently runs IDM Ltd, a company specialising in web design and Internet consultancy. He is also a member of Oftel’s Small Business Task Force and chairs the industry’s Comparable Performance Indicators Working Group.

2. The other members of CfB are Stephen Smith, Jon Simonds and Alastair Robertson. Stephen Smith is a member of the Advisory Committee on Telecommunications for Disabled and Elderly People (DIEL) and technical adviser to the Social Alarm Providers’ Association. He works for an alarm provider company. Jon Simonds is a member of the Welsh Advisory Committee on Telecommunications (WACT). He is involved in local authority economic development and the application of European funds. Alastair Robertson is a member of SACOT and is a retired IT strategy manager.

3. Prior to CfB being re-formed, work to promote the interests of small businesses was carried out through an Oftel project team supporting the Oftel Small Business Task Force.

4. The Advisory Committees on Telecommunications (ACTs) were set up under the Telecommunications Act 1984 to advise the Director General of Telecommunications. There are four country committees representing the interests of their respective consumers: Consumer Communications for England (CCE), the Scottish Advisory Committee on Telecommunications (SACOT), the Welsh Advisory Committee on Telecommunications (WACT) and the Northern Ireland Advisory Committee on Telecommunications (NIACT).

5. SACOT, WACT and NIACT also deal with consumer complaints in their parts of the UK. The Advisory Committee on Telecommunications for Disabled and Elderly People (DIEL) represents the interests of disabled and elderly telecommunications consumers and Communications for Buisness (CfB) represents the interests of small businesses. Members of the ACTs are unpaid but receive travel and out-of-pocket expenses.

5. More information about the ACTs can be found on the ACT website at www.acts.org.uk

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