ACTs news

The six Advisory Committees on Telecommunications (ACTs) continue to take a keen interest in the progress of the Communications Bill. The new legislation will replace both Oftel and the ACTs with Ofcom and a Consumer Panel. The ACTs wish to ensure that there is effective representation for consumers in the new regime.

NIACT conference - Communications: A New Beginning

The Northern Ireland Advisory Committee on Telecommunications (NIACT) has announced the date for its annual half-day conference - 12 March 2003. It is to be held at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast.

With the advent of Ofcom, Oftel and the other communications regulators are due to be replaced, hence the theme A New Beginning. At the conference, NIACT will be looking at what this means for telecoms users in Northern Ireland, as well as considering which new technologies are becoming available and how they affect the way we work. For more information and details of how to register for the conference, please contact the NIACT Secretariat (tel: 028 9024 2631 / e-mail: niact@acts.org.uk).

WACT conference - The future impact of Ofcom on telecommunications in Wales

The Welsh Advisory Committee on Telecommunications (WACT) conference will take place on Tuesday 18 March 2003 at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

The conference will cover the impact of Ofcom on Wales - consumer representation within Ofcom, economic opportunities for Wales, and the implications of devolution. It will also discuss the network and economic importance of coverage - consumer needs, mobile phone network coverage, remote broadband, and the implications for education and culture.

Speakers on the day will include Dr. Roger Jones, Chairman of the Welsh Development Agency (WDA); David Edmonds, Director General of Telecommunications; and Mike Tedd, Chairman of WACT. Political guest speakers Chris Bryant MP and Andrew Davies Assembly Member, National Assembly Economic Development Minister, have been invited to attend.

Conference invitations have been sent to senior level policy makers and implementers in Wales, including local and central government, business and education, cultural and consumer representation, planning and economic development. WACT expect members of the media to attend the conference as well.

Joint CCE/CfB broadband seminar

Consumer Communications for England (CCE) and Communications for Business (CfB), the Advisory Committees for England and small business respectively, held a broadband seminar on 27 February 2003 at Oftel. The seminar was a follow-up to the CCE Internet seminar which was held on 9 September 2002. The broadband seminar focused on the issues surrounding the delivery of broadband to urban/rural areas and small businesses. The areas which were discussed included an overview of the broadband market, bandwidth availability in the UK, and the delivery of broadband services to small businesses.

For further information on the work of the ACTs, please contact the ACT Secretariat (tel: 020 7634 5301 / e-mail: actsec@acts.org.uk).