Ofcom

Overview

Ofcom is the UK communications regulator. Its remit covers broadcasting (BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky and other licensed broadcasters), fixed and mobile telecoms, postal services, video-sharing platforms, and — under the Online Safety Act 2023 — user-to-user and search services. It enforces consumer protection rules, content standards (the Broadcasting Code), and competition law in regulated sectors.

What it handles

• Broadcasting Code complaints (harm, offence, due impartiality, fairness, privacy)
• Telecoms and broadband complaints (after the provider's eight-week internal process)
• Postal service complaints (after Royal Mail / provider's process)
• Online safety complaints under the OSA 2023 (codes of practice)
• Video-sharing platform regulation

What it does not handle

• Compensation for individual losses (Communications Ombudsman or court)
• Editorial decisions in newspapers (IPSO/IMPRESS)

Deadlines

• Broadcasting Code breach (broadcast) → 20 working days to complain to Ofcom
• Telecoms provider deadlock letter → 8 weeks of no resolution before escalation

Process

1. Step 1: Submit a complaint

   Complaints about a TV or radio broadcast are usually submitted using Ofcom's online complaint form and must be made within 20 working days of the programme being broadcast.

2. Step 2: Initial assessment

   Ofcom assesses each complaint it receives to check whether its broadcasting standards rules may have been broken.

3. Step 3: Close or investigate

   If the complaint doesn't raise issues warranting further action, Ofcom closes it and records the outcome in its fortnightly Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin; otherwise it opens a formal investigation, which is also listed in the Bulletin.

4. Step 4: Investigation outcome

   Once an investigation concludes, Ofcom publishes the result in a Broadcast and On Demand Bulletin, judging the matter in breach, resolved, or not in breach of its rules.

5. Step 5: Sanctions

   Where a broadcaster breaks the rules repeatedly or seriously, Ofcom can impose sanctions, which may include a substantial fine or the loss of the channel or station's broadcast licence.

Official sources