Page 134 - SAMENA Trends - October-December 2024

REGULATORY & POLICY UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

A new consultation on local commercial radio licence Manx Telecom has been fined £100,000 by the Isle of
renewals has been published by Ofcom. The Media Man’s telecommunications regulator for its handling
Act 2024 makes a number of changes to how the of a competitor's request to connect to a UK provider.
commercial radio sector is regulated, which includes Sure had asked Manx Telecom (MT) to facilitate an
United a new route for renewal of local analogue commercial interconnection with BT’s sub-sea cable. In August 2023,
licenses. Until now, renewal has only been possible if
Sure formally complained to the Communications and
Kingdom the holder of the analogue license is also broadcasting Utilities Regulatory Authority (Cura) over MT's failure to
on a relevant DAB multiplex. Following the passing of fulfil the request using infrastructure it controlled. Cura
the Act, a licensee can now also apply for renewal if said the firm had “breached its regulatory obligations”
there is not a “suitable” DAB multiplex available. The by withdrawing the options to make the connection
consultation sets out how Ofcom proposes to decide “without justification". Sure’s access request was
whether a multiplex is “suitable” and it is open for ultimately fulfilled by MT. “Consumer choice” In its
responses until 5pm on 5th February 2025. decision notice the regulator said as a condition of MT's
(December 13, 2024) www.radiotoday.co.uk operating license the firm was required to facilitate
interconnection requests and conclude agreements
Ofcom has approved significant changes, allowing “in a reasonable period of time". “The authority held
greater flexibility in the programming requirements of that the withdrawal of the options for solutions at the
community radio stations across the UK. Following a two sites where BT has its points of presence on the
public consultation, the media regulator will remove island was not reasonable,” Cura said. “By withdrawing
the majority of Key Commitments quotas for all options presented to Sure and BT during the process
community radio stations. These changes include without any objective justification, Manx Telecom had
aspects such as the primary types of music and speech breached its regulatory obligations.” “No other operator
content, the required hours of original programming can provide the access that is required to interconnect
per week, and the hours of locally produced content. with BT,” it added. Responding to the decision, Manx
To maintain service integrity, Ofcom will implement Telecom said it was “proactively taking steps to
specific safeguards for stations that broadcast in enhance its processes". “By collaborating closely
languages other than English, ensuring that these with Cura and other operators and implementing new
languages remain integral to the station’s character. policies to improve future interconnection procedures,
Ofcom will now formally notify all analogue community the company is demonstrating a strong commitment
radio licensees to initiate the license variation to collaboration and innovation,” it said. In a statement,
process, proposing updated draft character-of-service Sure said it welcomed the regulator's decision and
descriptions. These descriptions will retain core the “subsequent fulfilment of our access request,
elements from each station’s original character while which directly supports the delivery of our services to
applying standardized wording to reflect programming customers". “Telecommunication services are critical
aspects essential to each station’s identity. to not only our customers but to the island as a whole,
(November 14, 2024) www.bizasialive.com and fair competition is vital for innovation, value for
money and consumer choice,” it added.
(October 8, 2024) www.bbc.com

The Federal Communications Commission has voted and more. The availability of additional unlicensed
unanimously to allow Very Low Power (VLP) devices spectrum for VLP device use is meant to help support
to operate, unlicensed, across the entirety of the 6 a cutting-edge device category that is still emerging.
GHz band where unlicensed operations are allowed. FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said that the
United VLP devices that operate across short distances with FCC’s action would “help jumpstart the next generation
very high connection speeds are an emerging device
of unlicensed wireless devices.” While the FCC had
States category that the FCC said is “ideal for the types of already opened up 850 megahertz of the 6 GHz band
high-data rate cutting-edge applications that will for unlicensed use that would include VLP devices, FCC
both enrich consumer experiences and bolster the Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement
nation’s economy.” The regulatory agency said that that the move to allow VLP devices in additional
making additional spectrum available for unlicensed spectrum “take[s] the effort to support unlicensed
VLP device use will provide more capacity for devices activity in the 6 GHz band even further.” The FCC’s
and applications including augmented reality and action now means that VLP devices will be allowed
virtual reality (AR/VR), in-car connectivity, wearables, to operate across the total of 1,200 megahertz which
healthcare monitoring, short-range mobile hotspots, the FCC designated for unlicensed use back in 2020.
high-accuracy location and navigation, automation, (December 12, 2024) www.rcrwireless.com

134 OCT-DEC 2024