Citizens, Communications and Convergence

In July 2008, we published a discussion document setting out Ofcom's role in furthering the interests of citizens. This statement provides a summary of responses to that discussion and an outline of steps Ofcom will take to ensure a more transparent and consistent approach to furthering the interests of citizens.

Although in practice our thinking has been driven by a citizen focus since Ofcom's inception, the absence of a clear explanation of how the furthering of citizen interests is incorporated into our decision-making has led some stakeholders to question our commitment to the needs of citizens.

We committed, in the discussion document, to incorporate the approach we have taken to furthering citizens' interests into revised internal guidelines, used by managers when appraising policy options. However, we now propose to go further by reviewing also the role of discrete toolkits, which currently cover issues such as diversity and equality, as well as citizen and consumer interests, with the aim of developing a single guide to policy appraisal for Ofcom managers.