Asked by: Lord Inglewood (Non-affiliated - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the current framework for Ofcom in promoting economic growth under (1) the general duties of Ofcom under section 3 of the Communications Act 2003, (2) its interpretation through the Government's statements of strategic priorities, and (3) the growth duty extended to Ofcom.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Ofcom’s central duty is to further the interests of citizens and consumers, where appropriate by promoting competition, and having regard, amongst other things, to encouraging investment and innovation. Resultantly, Ofcom’s regulatory regime supports the drivers of economic growth in the markets they regulate, and the impact of this on these sectors can be seen, for example, in how the telecoms market has grown 25% in the last ten years.
The current statement of Strategic Priorities for Telecommunications, Spectrum Management and Postal Services was designated in 2019. The digital landscape and market conditions have changed significantly since then, and we are currently updating the Statement to respond to these changes and set out the Government’s key priorities for these sectors that support Government’s mission to kickstart economic growth.