Broadband News

Ofcom’s first chairman to step down

Thursday, 26 June 2008

By Garnet Roach garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

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Lord David Currie, the first chairman of Ofcom, will step down next year after almost seven years in the role.

Currie, who will leave in Easter 2009, was appointed chairman of the telecoms regulator in 2002 and has served two terms over the past seven years.

One of Currie’s major achievements at Ofcom was the strategic review of telecoms which led to BT (www.BT.com) unbundling its phone lines and allowing providers such as TalkTalk (www.TalkTalk.co.uk) and Tiscali (www.Tiscali.co.uk) to install their own equipment in local telephone exchanges.

local loop unbundling (LLU) helped to increase competition in the market by allowing very cheap broadband and even “free broadband” or “free line rental”.

No successor has yet been chosen to fill the role - though any appointment will be overseen by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform. The position will be advertised from September.

Currie said “I look forward to working with Ofcom well into 2009 on such crucial matters as the development of policy on public service broadcasting, Next Generation Access and consumer protection. I continue to enjoy working with such distinguished colleagues and I am delighted that we have been able to arrange an orderly succession process.”

Michael Phillips, BroadbandChoices.co.uk product director, said: “One of the key jobs for Currie’s successor will be to continue Ofcom’s focus on next generation broadband and fibre access.

“Ofcom must not let the spotlight fall from this issue or the UK could risk getting left behind as neighbouring countries such as France and Germany are already trialling fibre broadband,” he warned.

Related article - LLU migrations.

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