This consultation has been running from 2 December 2008 to 12 February 2009 and it is now closed.
Ofcom is now considering responses and will publish its final 2009/10 Annual Plan at the end of March 2009
The annual plan sets out Ofcom’s future work programme
Ofcom’s annual plan sets out our proposed work programme for the twelve months from April 2009 to March 2010. We encourage anyone with an interest in Ofcom’s work to contribute and respond to this draft annual plan, which will help inform our final plan, to be published in March 2009.
Ofcom’s work is focused on serving the interests of citizens and consumers
Ofcom’s work is driven by our duty to further the interests of citizens and consumers. Over the past year we have made significant progress in a number of key areas in delivering this duty, for example:
When making these and other policy decisions, it is important that we identify both the interests of citizens and consumers and consult fully with all our stakeholders.
There have been significant changes in the communications sector
The past twelve months have seen a number of important developments in the wider communications market. A range of new and innovative services in the market have increased in popularity; for example, mobile broadband, allowing people to access the internet easily on the move. We have successfully started the process of digital switchover in the UK and the convergence of new and traditional media and business models is now upon us.
At the same time, we now face significant economic pressures on a global scale – from which the communications sector is not immune. The uncertainty and volatility of the current climate means that we need to be prepared to act quickly and firmly if any consumer harm arises as a result. The implications of economic pressure will also be a common consideration throughout all of our policy work in 2009/10, as we seek to promote a sustainable level of competition in all the markets we regulate to deliver the needs of citizens and consumers.
The government’s recently announced Digital Britain review, a wide-ranging assessment of issues facing the communications sector, also demonstrates the increasing importance of the communications sector to the UK’s overall economy. We welcome this initiative and look forward to working with the government over the coming months. We will also continue to engage with governments in the devolved nations to support relevant initiatives in the communications sector across the UK.
The work we are planning for 2009/10 reflects these developments
Our proposed programme of future work for 2009/10 will respond to these developments in the communications sector and build on our progress to date. In this challenging economic climate we will work hard in the coming year to ensure that both citizens’ and consumers’ interests are promoted and protected. We will help to achieve this by providing opportunities for growth and innovation.
In developing our proposed work programme for 2009/10, we have used the three-year strategic framework, which we set out in 2006. We plan to focus on four areas:
These four objectives are supported by additional themes that cut across all areas of Ofcom’s work. These include:
We must also give serious consideration to the longer-term changes happening in the communications sector, building on the government’s work on Digital Britain. We are therefore proposing to develop a new strategic framework, which will enable us to plan and focus our efforts beyond 2010.
We are proposing a detailed programme of work for 2009/10
In the light of recent developments and current trends, we are proposing a wide-ranging work programme for next year consisting of 19 major work areas, grouped under the four key objectives of our strategic framework.
The figure below illustrates some of the key areas of our focus for next year. A detailed diagram of our programme of work is shown on page 17 of the full consultation document.
Within our work programme we have identified ten priorities for Ofcom. These are work areas where successful outcomes are vital in 2009/10 to ensure that Ofcom fulfils its longer-term intention of maximising the benefits of convergence for citizens and consumers across the UK.
Our proposed priorities for 2009/10 are:
The nature of the communications sectors will inevitably give rise to unexpected issues during the coming year. Our contributions to industry discussions on online copyright infringement, and broadband speeds, are two examples of issues that emerged (but which we did not plan for) in 2008/09. To ensure that Ofcom has sufficient resource to carry out such unplanned tasks without compromising our ongoing work, we plan to reserve a share of capacity for unexpected tasks in 2009/10.
We will also deliver key services for all our stakeholders
In addition to our policy work programme, one of Ofcom’s key roles is to deliver a range of services to stakeholders. These include keeping the airwaves free from interference, allocating telephone number ranges, providing information services to the market and planning for the London Olympics. These are valuable services for stakeholders and we are looking at how we can continue to improve their delivery.
In delivering our policy work programme and services to stakeholders, we remain committed to maximising our efficiency. Our aim is to deliver the maximum value for money to our stakeholders and we will pursue a series of initiatives to identify opportunities for increased efficiency, alongside a rigorous process of budget review.
It is important that all our stakeholders understand what we are proposing to focus on in the coming year. We welcome all views from stakeholders on our proposed priorities and our wider work programme. We will publish the results of this consultation within our final annual plan, in late March 2009.
