An article from timesonline about the Ofcom CE.

Source: http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9076-1808339,00.html

Ofcom chief sees self-regulation as the answer to internet worries

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STEPHEN CARTER has a new gadget. Grinning, he picks up a handset that plugs neatly into his computer allowing him to make free internet calls.

“You don’t have one?” he asks in disbelief. It’s the kind of publicity Skype — the phone’s producer and currently the hottest of the internet call companies — must dream about.

Such shows of boyish excitement are not typical. But Carter, head of Ofcom, the telecoms and media watchdog and one of the most powerful men in Britain, is in a buoyant mood.

The 41-year-old Scot has just completed one of the biggest and most complex tasks since starting at the “super-regulator” two years ago — a review of the £40 billion telecoms industry.

The review, the first in 13 years and the biggest since privatisation 21 years ago, began as a wide-ranging inquiry into everything from mobile roaming charges to “rip off” 0845 numbers. However, the focus shifted quickly to BT, the telecoms giant, and whether it was stifling competition by failing to give rivals fair access to its local network. [...]

Ofcom has been adamantly against its own remit being extended to internet content. But Carter says that some form of self-regulation — where broadcasters and others agree among themselves to adhere to certain standards — could be necessary. [...]

Seeking opinions is something Ofcom, which was formed from five separate regulators, has never been shy of. Indeed some complain of consultation overkill. At present there are more than 40 consultations underway. But Carter resents criticism of this: “We are damned if we do and damned if we don’t. What’s too much consultation? We are required to consult and that is the way we make decisions,” he says.

And yes, he adds, all responses are read. “You should see my weekend packs,” he says.

He is equally robust on criticisms of Ofcom’s spending. The organisation, which employs 700 people across the UK, last year cost £133 million. [...]
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