Following on from idb's NTS Focus Group Minutes Thread:-

-----Original Message-----
Sent: 01 March 2007 19:59
To: matt.peacock@ofcom.org.uk
Cc: ed.richards@ofcom.org.uk; sean.williams@ofcom.org.uk; colette.bowe@ofcomconsumerpanel.org.uk
Subject: Proposed 0870 Timetable Delay & Do You Still Read SayNoTo0870.com Website

Dear Matt,

I know you previously said that you had decided to ignore my communications after what you claimed was my unpardonable ad hominem approach.  Although actually I think you had just given up on any hope of winning me round to the view that Ofcom were really the good guys.

However I was just curious whether you continue to study the views expressed in the www.saynoto0870.com website discussion forum and if you were not alarmed by the increasing hostility towards Ofcom that is developing there due to the hopelessly flawed proposals on 084/7 that Ofcom came up with and the now quite unbelievable latest news from the NTS focus group that Ofcom is apparently prepared to consider extending its timetable for 0870 becoming geographically priced beyond 1st Feb 2008.  Yet only at the previous meeting Ofcom personnel had said this would not happen.

As Ofcom's Communications Director how you can justify Ofcom continuing to meet behind closed doors with the telecoms companies on NTS issues while refusing to allow representatives of consumer interest groups to be present and put their views.  Especially when Ofcom's principal duty under Section 3 (i) of the Communications Act 2003 is supposed to be the protection of best interests of the UK citizen consumer.

Yours in stunned disbelief.

Regards,

bbb_uk,  Have you been overdosing again on your optimistic pills?

bbb_uk wrote on Mar 7^th, 2007 at 7:47am:


All I have heard back in regard to Ofcom is the survey email today, which is not in any way related to the email I sent to Matt Peacock.

It seems that the normally workaholic Mr Peacock, who would always without fail reply to me at weekends or when on overseas holiday, has now taken away his ball and won't play any more.  His excuse seems to be that I suggested he only stayed on with such a morally bankrupt organisation to pay his childrens school fees, because he couldn't match the same pay levels elsewhere, and especially not pursuing the more challenging but personally satisfying career of being a BBC overseas reporter, as he used to be during his earlier working career.  He called this an "ad hominem" attack (ie attacking the man rather than the policies or the culture of the organisation he works for)

However as Matt Peacock is still there at Ofcom it seems in a way that I could have been right as I don't think too many other organisations pay their PR directors better than Ofcom does.  Its usually only CEO and COO at some commercial organisations that would pay better than Ofcom's £200k per annum or so level, at least in terms of official salary rather than share options etc package add ons.

MPs get attacked personally on their salaries of only £60k per annum or so all the time, as do district councillors over their meagre councillor allowance of around £4k per annum, so I really don't see why the senior staff of Ofcom shouldn't have to justify what they are paid when they have let us UK citizen consumers down so badly.