Office of Communications
The Office of Communications (Ofcom) is a telecoms regulatory agency.
Contents
Composition
The office is led by a chief executive.
A board appointed by the secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) oversees the office.
History
Until the 1970s, telecoms had been bundled under the purview of the Post Office. The industry had been split out to encourage competition, with the Office of Telecommunications (Oftel) regulating the emerging industry.
Blair pushed for a reorganization of regulatory and franchising agencies in response to rapid digitization. The Office of Communications Act in 2002 established the Office of Communications (Ofcom). The Communications Act of the next year moved all Oftel responsibilities to Ofcom.
Ofcom has broad powers to censor content that the government opposes and police journalists/new agencies according to the government's standards. In 2019, Ofcom opened an investigation into China Central Television (CCTV). This culminated in 2021 with a substantial fine and revoking their license to broadcast the CGTN channel.