Ofcom’s Post

Supporting wireless innovation - find out the latest on Ofcom's spectrum work. This week we've published a number of updates on action to help support innovation and keep people across the UK connected. We have... 🛜Set out proposals to make more spectrum available in the 32 GHz band for use by fixed links. These wireless systems provide an alternative approach to fibre and are especially useful for providing connectivity in rural or remote areas. https://lnkd.in/eUV2VXm5 📡 Approved Starlink’s request to vary four of its Non-Geostationary (NGSO) earth station gateway licences for sites at Fawley, Wherstead, Woodwalton and the Isle of Man. https://lnkd.in/eSkrUrZp 🛰️ Decided to grant an NGSO network licence to NSLComm - enabling it to provide satellite connectivity services to people and businesses in the UK. https://lnkd.in/eWnPFdWs #Spectrum #Innovation #Technology

📻 A big year for radio as our new media nations report reveals a 20-year high in weekly listening figures. At just under 50 million weekly listeners between January and March this year, much of this growth is down to commercial radio attracting new audiences. Just over seven in 10 people aged 15+ tune into commercial stations at least once a week, compared to just over 55% for BBC stations. But the UK's audio habits go well beyond just radio now, with audiobooks, podcasts and streaming services all now in the mix.

🚫 Phone companies will need to block more scam calls from abroad, under our new guidelines. Under our new guidelines, all UK phone companies will have to identify and block calls from abroad which falsely display a UK telephone number as a ‘Presentation Number’. We have already seen that blocking methods like this can have a significant impact in protecting the public from scams, with BT preventing 1 million calls per day within the first month of introducing this approach. Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom's Group Director for Networks and Communications said: “Under our strengthened industry guidance, millions more scam calls from abroad which use spoofed UK landline numbers will be blocked – with similar plans underway for calls which spoof UK mobile numbers. We’re also challenging the industry and other interested parties to provide evidence on the best solutions to tackle mobile messaging scams.” Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eQVyCEtx

Online safety on the road! Ofcom experts have been out in the States this week to talk all things online safety at #TrustCon2024. Taking place in San Francisco, TrustCon is a global conference that brings together professionals working in the trust and safety space from across the world. Colleagues from Ofcom’s online safety, research and enforcement teams spoke on stage at the event about a range of issues central to our online safety work - including the effect of algorithms, children’s experiences of online harms and the importance of international co-operation among regulators. Other key themes emerging from the event included the advances in technology for content moderation, AI safety and the need for collaboration between trust and safety professionals and others working in the online world. And importantly, that regulation must be a floor for online safety - not the ceiling. With online safety being such a global issue, engaging with other organisations and professionals internationally is critical to our work to help people live safer lives online. Alexander Hall Dr Martha Kirby Kathryn Searle Shahyan Ahmad Kate Reynolds #OnlineSafety #Regulation

🔦 We'll be shining a light on online safety practices with our new transparency powers. For the first time in the UK, certain tech services will have to publish detailed information about the safety of their platforms for all to see. We'll also have information gathering powers. This will help us understand how effective tech firms' safety measures are and address specific concerns. For example, we'll have the ability to: 🏵️ remotely view how a platform’s algorithm works in real-time. 🔎 carry out an audit of a tech firm’s safety measures or features. We're consulting on draft guidance setting out our proposed approach to transparency and information gathering. Respond by 4 October 2024. Find out more here ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/e_s6pYmc

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Natalie Black CBE as Ofcom's new Group Director for Network and Communications. Natalie will be responsible for Ofcom’s work in the telecoms, post and network sectors, where our aim is to protect consumers and promote competition. She will join Ofcom's Board and also lead our work on the implications of Artificial Intelligence. Having held a number of senior positions in the civil service, Natalie was also the UK's first HM Trade Commissioner for Asia Pacific. Commenting on Natalie's appointment, Ofcom Chief Executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, said: "I am delighted to welcome Natalie to Ofcom. She brings a wealth of leadership experience from both the UK and abroad, and her expertise in issues ranging from cyber security to online harms will be invaluable." Welcome to Ofcom, Natalie!

🚨 Latest telecoms and pay-TV complaints revealed: ▪️ NOW Broadband was the most complained-about broadband provider from January - March, while Sky and Shell Energy were joint least. ▪️ O2 remains the most complained-about mobile firm. ▪️ Virgin Media had most complaints for pay-TV, while Sky and EE had fewest. 🔗 Read more from the report here: https://lnkd.in/e4ERET7J Check how the providers compared. 👇

We've fined TikTok £1.875m for failing to accurately respond to a formal request for information about its parental controls safety feature. Delays in reporting an issue with the data to us disrupted publication of our child safety transparency report. It's our job to scrutinise platforms’ safety features, and gathering information is a critical part of holding tech firms to account. Our investigation uncovered failings in TikTok’s data governance processes. 🔗 Read about our findings here: https://lnkd.in/dCF2xSJQ

⚠️ Two in five people have seen at least one deepfake in the last six months – but only one in ten are confident in their ability to spot them. 🔎 Our research reveals the prevalence of online deepfakes, and the ways they can cause harm by demeaning, defrauding and disinforming people. In our new discussion paper, we explore what tech companies can do to tackle harmful deepfakes, and we’re working at pace to consult on how platforms should comply with their new duties under the Online Safety Act. Find out more ⬇️ https://lnkd.in/eJe6CCwX #AI #Deepfakes #OnlineSafety

🚨We have fined BT £17.5m, following a 999 emergency call outage that took place in June 2023. BT is the sole emergency call-handling provider in the UK. So when its services went down on 25 June 2023, the company notified Ofcom and we launched an investigation swiftly. Our investigation found 14,000 calls were missed in an outage lasting 10 and a half hours. BT was ill-prepared for such a catastrophic failure, which could have resulted in serious harm to members of the public. Suzanne Cater, Ofcom’s Director of Enforcement, said: “Being able to contact the emergency services can mean the difference between life and death, so in the event of any disruption to their networks, providers must be ready to respond quickly and effectively. “In this case, BT fell woefully short of its responsibilities and was ill-prepared to deal with such a large-scale outage, putting its customers at unacceptable risk. “Today’s fine sends a broader warning to all firms -– if you’re not properly prepared to deal with disruption to your networks, we’ll hold you to strict account on behalf of consumers.” Find out more: https://lnkd.in/eAWU_vgc