UK: Ofcom mulls TV & telecoms deregulation

Ofcom is contemplating a deregulation of the television and telecoms industry to reflect shifts in how people watch, read and talk over the past decade.

In her first interview since taking over as head of the UK media regulator, Sharon White said Ofcom needed to examine how competition from US Internet giants such as YouTube and Facebook were changing the British media and telecoms markets.

“One of the big issues in my in-tray is going to be the Internet” she said. “[The regulatory response] is something we are going to have to look closely at.

“We will certainly look at whether there is scope for a lighter approach given the entry of newer players and technology that we wouldn’t have dreamt of a few years ago.”

White has joined Ofcom as it begins its first review of the communications market for a decade, to take into account the growing power of Internet services.

Ofcom will assesswhether market definitions, and regulations, need to be redrawn in the TV and telecoms sectors given BT’s push into sports broadcasting and Sky’s strong position in broadband. BT’s ownership of Openreach, the national fixed line network, will also be reviewed, White confirmed.

Full Content: The Financial Times

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