Ofcom

Office of Communications Act 2002
Office of Communications Act 2002
Act of Parliament
	Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to establish a body corporate to be known as the Office of Communications; and to confer functions in relation to proposals about the regulation of communications on that body, on certain existing regulators and on the Secretary of State.
Citation	2002 c. 11
Dates
Royal assent	19 March 2002
Status: Amended
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Office of Communications Act 2002 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

Office of Communications
	Ofcom offices at Riverside House, Bankside, next to Southwark Bridge in London
Abbreviation	Ofcom
Formation	29 December 2003
Type	Statutory corporation
Legal status	Created by Office of Communications Act 2002
Purpose	Regulator and competition authority for broadcasting, internet, postal services, telecommunications and radiocommunications spectrum
Headquarters	London, England
Location	London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast, Manchester, Warrington;
Region served	United Kingdom
Official language	English, Welsh
Chairman	Michael Grade
Chief Executive	Melanie Dawes
Main organ	Board of Directors
Staff	902 (full-time equivalents) (2019)
Website	www.ofcom.org.uk

The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and postal industries of the United Kingdom.

Ofcom has wide-ranging powers across the television, radio, telecoms, internet and postal sectors. It has a statutory duty to represent the interests of citizens and consumers by promoting competition and protecting the public from harmful or offensive material.^[3]^[4]

Some of the main areas Ofcom regulates are TV and radio standards, broadband and phones, video-sharing platforms online, the wireless spectrum and postal services.

The regulator was initially established by the Office of Communications Act 2002 (c. 11) and received its full authority from the Communications Act 2003 (c. 21).^[1]

^ ^a ^b "Office of Communications Act 2002 – 2002 CHAPTER 11". Office of Public Sector Information. 19 March 2002. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
^ "Maggie Carver appointed Ofcom interim Chair from January". Ofcom. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.
^ "Your rights – Ofcom". The Liberty Guide to Human Rights. Liberty. 12 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.
^ Lunt, Peter; Livingstone, Sonia (2007). "Regulating markets in the interest of consumers?: on the changing regime of governance in the financial service and communications sectors.". Governance, consumers and citizens: agency and resistance in contemporary politics (PDF). Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 139–161. Retrieved 11 January 2014. Footnote 15.

[OoCA2002-1] "Office of Communications Act 2002 – 2002 CHAPTER 11". Office of Public Sector Information. 19 March 2002. Retrieved 23 February 2010.

[2] "Maggie Carver appointed Ofcom interim Chair from January". Ofcom. 15 December 2020. Retrieved 26 August 2021.

[3] "Your rights – Ofcom". The Liberty Guide to Human Rights. Liberty. 12 August 2010. Archived from the original on 11 January 2014. Retrieved 11 January 2014.

[4] Lunt, Peter; Livingstone, Sonia (2007). "Regulating markets in the interest of consumers?: on the changing regime of governance in the financial service and communications sectors.". Governance, consumers and citizens: agency and resistance in contemporary politics (PDF). Basingstoke, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. pp. 139–161. Retrieved 11 January 2014. Footnote 15.

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