Consumers and citizens must be at the heart of communications regulation and policy
14 July 2009
At the core of all the Communications Consumer Panel's work is the drive to put consumers and citizens at the heart of policy and regulation in the communications sector Chair Anna Bradley says.
Launching this year's annual report (2008/2009) (PDF 5.48MB, opens in a new window), Anna Bradley writes that over the past year this involved carrying out a major piece of research on the role of communications services in meeting people's evolving needs to inform the Government's plans for Digital Britain. The research showed that people place a high value on communications services and that soon broadband will be essential for everyone. These research findings have informed our advice and helped to shape our priorities for the year ahead.
Alongside such major work, the Panel has advised on a wide range of issues, including tracking digital TV switchover to see that the needs of vulnerable people are met, pointing out the need for consumers to receive reliable information about broadband speeds and highlighting the social and economic benefits of investment in next-generation broadband.
Anna Bradley concludes by saying that, "This year we have also made the Panel's activities more visible - setting up a new website, introducing a monthly newsletter and launching a blog for Panel members to share ideas and information. And, for the first time, we held a consultation meeting for stakeholders on our Work Plan, so that people could feed in their views."