2022 consultation responses

We welcome CAP and BCAP’s consultation and the opportunity to write in support of the proposed guidance principles. The Communications Consumer Panel has previously highlighted to Ofcom and communications providers, the impact of mid-contract price rises. However, we note that Ofcom’s remit does not extend to pricing and that Ofcom can only urge communications providers to make clear their policy on any such rises in their consumer communications, while having no specific remit to advise on advertising.

We welcome the opportunity to response to DCMS’ call for views. Our response confirms in writing the support we have given to DCMS in confirming our mutual belief that app users need more protection. We support the policy interventions set out and would welcome the development of regulation in this area, with input from consumer groups, digital regulators and international counterparts to DCMS.

We welcome the opportunity to respond to Ofcom’s consultation on its ‘Treating vulnerable customers fairly guide’: Proposals to amend the guide to help ensure customers in debt or struggling to pay are treated fairly having previously responded to their call for input on behalf of consumers in debt.

We welcome Ofcom’s attention to treating consumers fairly who may find themselves more vulnerable in the communications market for any of various reasons. We have consistently urged Ofcom to focus on fairness for all consumers when designing policy interventions (including fairness for micro-businesses and citizens).

We welcome the opportunity to respond to Ofcom’s consultations on tackling scam calls and texts, and, having engaged with the Ofcom consumer policy and enforcement teams on a regular basis around this extremely important area of consumer protection.

We also represent smaller, micro-businesses, which – without the resources held by larger businesses - face many of the same challenges as domestic customers, some with an additional responsibility to protect their own customers from scams.

We welcome the opportunity to respond to this consultation on the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland (CCNI’s) proposed Forward Work Programme for 2022-23. We greatly value the CCNI’s collaboration and participation in working towards achieving mutual goals to understand, represent and empower consumers, and input into policy.

We welcome the opportunity to respond to this consultation on Ofcom’s proposed update to its Disability Action Plan for Northern Ireland. We support Ofcom’s strengthened commitment to disabled consumers in Northern Ireland.

Further to our response to Ofcom’s call for inputs, we welcome the opportunity to respond to Ofcom’s consultation. We were also pleased to have been able to facilitate Ofcom’s consultation with a wide range of UK consumer, citizen and micro-business organisations and charities across the UK, through their participation in the Panel’s National Consumer Stakeholder Hubs.

We welcome the opportunity to respond to Ofcom’s plan of work. We believe it is vital that Ofcom underpins its work to ‘Make Communications Work for Everyone’ with a clear vision of the consumer outcomes it aims to achieve. The Panel supports Ofcom’s Plan of Work overall, recognising particularly its commitment to universal connectivity and promoting commitment to Fairness to Customers.

We support Ofcom’s commitment to ensuring public call boxes that are needed are protected from removal. In this response, we highlight issues affecting consumers, which we believe Ofcom could consider as part of this review. We recently met with Ofcom and fed in these points, after engagement with consumer stakeholders across the UK and having listened to consumers directly.