OFCOMBY S A D I E Q U I N N

WHAT IS OFCOM?

• ‘OFCOM’ stands for the ‘Office of communications’. In welsh this is ‘Y Swyddfa Gyfathrebiadau’.

• OFCOM is the government-approved regulatory and is essentially the primary authority for the broadcasting, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.

• ‘Some of the main areas Ofcom presides over are licensing, research, codes and policies, complaints, competition and protecting the radio spectrum from abuse (e.g. pirate radio stations).’- Wikipedia.

WHEN WAS IT ESTABLISHED?• The creation of Ofcom was announced in the Queen's Speech to the UK parliament in June 2001.• The regulator was established by the Office of Communications Act in 2002 and had full

authority by 2003.• OFCOM officially launched on 29 December 2003.• It took over the responsibilities of five previously dominant regulatory institutions: the Broadcasting Standards Commission, the Independent Television Commission, the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel), the Radio Authority, and the Radiocommunications Agency.

WHAT DO THEY DO?• OFCOM are essentially responsible for ensuring that all forms of media and

postal institutions abide by a particular set of rules.• These rules make sure that producers and presenters keep their media

outlet as legitimate as possible and do not insult or disturb any members of the public.

• What OFCOM do, according to their website:

ANNUAL PLAN

• Each year, OFCOM publish an ‘annual plan’- essentially a list of what the would like to achieve and what the rules are each year:

• http://www.ofcom.org.uk/content/about/annual-reports-plans/ann-plans/Annual_Plan_Statement.pdf

DETAILSFormation 29th December 2003Type Statutory corporationLegal status Created through Office of Communications

Act 2002Headquarters Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge

Road, London SE1 9HAPurpose and focus Regulator and competition authority for

broadcasting, telecommunications and radio communications spectrum

Locations London, Belfast, Cardiff, Caterham, Newton-le-Willows, Glasgow

Region served United KingdomOfficial languages English and Welsh