2019 consultation responses

The Panel welcomes the potential for increased mobile coverage that is being promised by the Shared Rural Network (SRN) and we recognise that the suggested level of coverage is intended to exceed the level of coverage under the previously proposed auction design by Ofcom.

The Panel supports the publication of guidance for providers on how to treat customers – particularly vulnerable consumers – fairly. We have urged Ofcom to focus on fairness and welcome its Fairness for Customers campaign, encouraging a more active focus by providers on Treating All Customers Fairly.

We support the introduction of a General Condition that requires communications providers (broadband, mobile, home phone and pay TV companies) to perform field trials, creating ‘real-life scenarios’ to test the impact of proposed changes and learn from the actual experience of a group of consumers before taking further action that may impact groups of consumers.

The Panel believes that the consumer landscape needs both ex-ante and ex-post work and a strengthened role for the panel, working in partnership with a campaigning advocate (including nations variations) is likely to offer the best outcome for consumers.

The Panel welcomes the opportunity to comment further on the establishment of Consumer Scotland to further protect Scottish consumers. We look forward to working with Consumer Scotland, sharing our understanding of the main issues facing Scottish consumers in the communications sector.

The Panel welcomes the opportunity to respond to Ofcom’s consultation on measures to support Openreach’s proposed trial migrating customers to full fibre and withdrawing copper services. We have engaged closely with Ofcom to promote and protect the rights of people who are likely to be the most vulnerable during the migration.

The Panel welcomes this statement and consultation. We have engaged regularly with Ofcom and communications providers (CPs), to help consumers to get better deals in communications markets.

The Panel welcomes the opportunity to respond to DCMS’s consultation on implementing the EECC. We welcome aspects of the EECC that help to expedite this in the UK, to benefit the lives of UK consumers, including people living in hard-to-reach areas.

The Panel welcomes the opportunity to contribute further to this important discussion on Ofcom’s proposed fairness framework - We have previously urged Ofcom to work with providers to help them to understand what is expected of them regarding the way they treat consumers and it is vital that the fairness framework has at its core what customers need.

The Panel welcomes the priorities that DCMS has identified with the aim of furthering the interests of telecoms and postal consumers. In addressing the needs of telecoms consumers overall, we believe a culture change in the telecoms industry is needed, so that when designing their policies, fairness comes first.

The Panel supports Ofcom’s proposals to encourage competition and to improve mobile coverage for the greatest number of consumers in the UK.

The draft plan sets out Ofcom’s over-arching ambitions for universal broadband and mobile coverage and fairness for consumers, both fundamental outcomes that the Panel has urged Ofcom and industry to achieve as a strong starting point for high quality and inclusive services.

We encourage the Commissioner to support measures in the communications sector to ensure that consumers receive fair deals from their communications providers and are supplied with services in a way with which they are able to engage.

The Panel supports Ofcom’s proposals to require all providers of public electronic communications networks and/or public electronic communications services (as currently defined in the General Conditions) to send end-of-contract notifications and out-of-contract notifications to their residential and small business customers.