The new Bank of England chief will have plenty to keep them busy April 26, 2019 There was a time when running the Bank of England was a family affair. The inaugural governor Sir John Houblon (1694-1697) was followed a few years later by his younger brother Abraham Houblon, who took charge of the Old Lady from 1703 to 1705. There have been 116 governors since Houblon Jnr, and all of them [...]
Runners and riders: Meet the candidates who could replace Mark Carney as the Bank of England governor April 24, 2019 Speculation has begun over the next governor of the Bank of England after the Chancellor Philip Hammond launched the hunt for Mark Carney’s successor this morning. Carney’s tenure began amid post-crisis reform of financial system regulation but his latter years have been characterised by Brexit, which his successor will also have to navigate through. Read [...]
Which consumer survey reveals UK’s worst mobile network providers April 23, 2019 Vodafone has been ranked the UK’s worst mobile operator as big-name providers continue to lag behind their smaller rivals. Vodafone was rated the worst network, while O2 and EE completed the bottom three, according to the latest survey from consumer group Which. Read more: Vodafone broadband advert banned by watchdog for misleading consumers Virtual network [...]
Government set to hold social media firms responsible for harmful content April 5, 2019 Bosses of social media giants such as Facebook could be held responsible for rampant harmful content on their platforms, the government is set to warn next week. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport will legislate for a new statutory duty of care which will be funded through a levy on media companies, according to a [...]
Big Four broadband providers lag behind for customer satisfaction March 25, 2019 Broadband customers using the largest providers are the most likely to be getting a bad deal, a new survey has revealed. Despite collectively supplying almost nine in 10 customers, BT, Sky, Talktalk and Virgin Media consistently rank poorly for customer satisfaction, according to consumer group Which. Read more: Zen named best broadband provider by Which [...]
Regulators must do more to help consumers navigate markets, national audit body says March 20, 2019 Britain’s four main regulatory bodies need to do more to help consumers navigate increasingly expensive markets and get the best deals available, the National Audit Office (NAO) said today. Debt was the most common problem people sought help with across the utilities, communications and financial services sectors due to high bills and credit payments, the NAO said this [...]
Revamp media regulation to help broadcasters take on Netflix, BBC chairman urges March 18, 2019 The UK’s media regulation must be overhauled to protect public service broadcasters from rivals such as Netflix, the BBC chairman said today. Speaking at the Oxford Media Convention this morning, Sir David Clementi said existing regulation is not fit for the digital age and must be updated to ensure British broadcasters can take on global [...]
MPs call for social media regulation to protect children from online ‘wild west’ March 18, 2019 The “lawless landscape” of social media must be regulated to ensure young people are protected from graphic content that could damage their mental health, a group of MPs has said. A report into the impact of social media on young people’s mental health concluded firms such as Facebook and Instagram should face a 0.5 per [...]
Revealed: The broadband provider most likely to cut you a better deal March 18, 2019 Consumers have long discussed the craftiest ways to negotiate the best deal from their broadband providers. But new research from check and challenge site Ismybillfair.com has revealed how likely broadband providers are to cut you a better deal. Read more: Satellite firm Inmarsat boosts revenue due to in-flight broadband demand According to the survey, Virgin [...]
MPs urge Ofcom to hold mobile operators to account on rural 4G March 11, 2019 MPs have written to Ofcom calling on the regulator to ensure mobile operators fulfil their obligations to boost 4G coverage in rural areas. The all-party parliamentary group (APPG) on rural business welcomed Ofcom’s commitments for 90 per cent geographic coverage by all four networks across the UK. Read more: Customers can walk out of slow [...]