CityFibre asks watchdog to level playing field after BT-EE merger March 23, 2015 High speed fibre optic firm CityFibre has attacked BT, saying its planned acquisition of EE would “stifle innovation” and “deliver little tangible benefit for consumers”. CityFibre revealed the objection this morning, saying that it submitted a formal complaint to the Competition Markets Authority (CMA) on Friday. The company demanded Ofcom be allowed to enforce extra [...]
BT hits back at Ofcom over new broadband rule March 19, 2015 Telecoms giant BT slammed its industry regulator for taking a “lopsided” approach to the UK market. Industry watchdog Ofcom yesterday confirmed it was going ahead with a new pricing rule, coming into effect on 1 April. The rule means BT must maintain a sufficient margin between its wholesale and retail superfast broadband fees, in order [...]
BT fined £800,000 by Ofcom for deaf service failure March 17, 2015 British Telecom (BT) has been handed an £800,000 fine from media regulator Ofcom for failing to offer adequate services for hearing-impaired customers for five months. The fine relates to BT’s failure to bring in its Next Generation text relay system from between April and September 2014. The system translates voice-to-text on various devices, including PCs, [...]
Digital probe sparks row over broadband as Sky and Talk-Talk press Ofcom to break up BT and Openreach March 12, 2015 A battle between the UK’s largest telecommunications businesses intensified yesterday, as Sky and Talk-Talk pounced on a decision by the regulator to launch a wide-ranging probe into the sector. Both firms ramped up pressure on Ofcom to break up BT from the part of its business – called BT Openreach – that runs the UK’s broadband [...]
Ofcom review of UK digital communications market will look to maintain competition March 12, 2015 Media regulator Ofcom will review the UK’s digital communications market for the first time in a decade in order to ensure competition remains in a sector increasingly dominated by telecom giants. Ofcom said its review will look to identify if there is scope for deregulation in “some areas” of the market and find [...]
City watchdog in investment banking probe: What will the FCA do and who’s involved? February 19, 2015 Big investment banks may be too dominant in some areas of the industry, limiting competition and hurting companies and consumers, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) warned yesterday. Prices are not always transparent enough to allow firms to compare banks effectively, the FCA said. The watchdog has received complaints that shares in major deals are allocated to [...]
Ukip The First 100 Days: 1,000 complaints over Farage “what if” TV documentary made to Channel 4 and Ofcom February 17, 2015 A television show about Ukip has prompted more than a 1,000 complaints after being broadcast on Channel 4 on Monday night. The fictional documentary, which imagined the first 100 days of a Ukip government if the party were to sweep to power in May's General Election, received 731 complaints Ofcom has said. Another 250 complaints were [...]
Ukip The First 100 Days: Channel 4’s Farage “what if” TV documentary has already attracted 19 complaints to Ofcom February 16, 2015 Can you imagine a Ukip future? Now you don’t have to. In what’s being called a "fictional docudrama" – aka a "mocumentary" – a new television show will take the hypothetical situation of Ukip sweeping to power in the next election and run with it. The show, due to air at 9pm on Monday night [...]
MacKenzie set for sports radio February 9, 2015 MEDIA entrepreneur Kelvin MacKenzie is in the running to launch a new national sports radio station to steal the crown of his former enterprise Talksport. MacKenzie, best known for editing The Sun newspaper at its peak, is teaming up with his Talksport co-founder Jason Bryant to launch SPORTS Radio next January. It will enter the [...]
Fifty Shades of Grey: Surge in adventurous shoppers looking for sex toys, lingerie and bondage gear February 5, 2015 Retailers are preparing for a surge in sales of lingerie, sex toys and bondage gear as the saucy film Fifty Shades of Grey hits cinema screens. The hotly-anticipated film adaptation of the best-selling erotic book by E.L James, timed for release over the Valentine's Day weekend, is spurring retailers to stock up on titillating products [...]