"Legislation will be brought forward to reform the broadcasting and telecommunications industry by promoting competition and investment and giving powers to the Office of Communications."

The Communications Act will "reform the broadcasting and telecommunications industry by promoting competition and investment and giving powers to the Office of Communications." The key aims of the Act, which was subject to prelegislative scrutiny in the last Parliamentary session, are "promoting competition, investment and giving powers to the Office of Communications" (Ofcom).

The Act will, according to the government, "create the most dynamic and competitive communications industry in the world; provide universal access to a choice of diverse services of the highest quality; ensure that citizens and consumers are safeguarded."

Ofcom was created by the Office of Communications Act 2002. Lord Currie of Marylebone, the Labour peer, has been appointed as chair. The new regulator will assume the functions of the:

Broadcasting Standards Commission;

Independent Television Commission:

Office of Telecommunications;

Radio Authority;

Radiocommunications Agency.

A consumer's panel will be set up to advise Ofcom on major policy matters. As with the Office of Fair Trading, Ofcom will be empowered to apply competition regulations across the whole communications sector. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport have promised "significant deregulation to promote competition and investment" and greater self-regulation by public service broadcasters "in certain areas."

In May 2002, the draft Communications Bill was published for consultation and underwent pre-legislative scrutiny by a Joint Committee chaired by Lord Puttnam. The government responded to the committee in October 2002.

The Communications Act will help the government achieve its objectives of "creating the most dynamic and competitive communications industry in the world; provide universal access to a choice of diverse services of the highest quality; ensure that citizens and consumers are safeguarded".

In Brief:

• Establish a new regulatory framework for the communications sector, transferring functions from the existing regulators to OFCOM.

• Reform the rules on media ownership. There would be significant deregulation to promote competition and investment, but some core rules will be retained to ensure the existence of a range of media voices, safeguarding the vibrancy of democratic debate;

• Give OFCOM concurrent powers with the Office of Fair Trading to apply competition rules across the whole communications sector;

• Make provision to allow radio spectrum trading, leading to more efficient, flexible use;

• Introduce a new, more coherent, structure for broadcasting regulation in the digital age and allow greater freedom to public service broadcasters to regulate themselves in certain areas;

• Require OFCOM to establish and maintain a Content Board to ensure that the public interest in the nature and quality of television and radio programmes is represented within OFCOM;

• Establish a Consumer Panel to advise OFCOM and other persons and bodies where appropriate, on major policy matters arising from the delivery of communications services.

House of Commons

First reading: November 19 2002 (HC Bill 6)

Second reading: December 3 2002

Committee stage (SC E) (To conclude by February 6 2003)

• 1st sitting: December 10 2002 (am)
• 2nd sitting: December 10 2002 (pm)
• 3rd sitting: December 12 2002 (am)
• 4th sitting: December 12 2002 (pm)
• 5th sitting: December 17 2002 (am)
• 6th sitting: December 17 2002 (pm)
• 7th sitting: December 19 2002 (am)
• 8th sitting: January 7 2003 (pm)
• 9th sitting: January 9 2003 (am)
• 10th sitting: January 9 2003 (pm)
• 11th sitting: January 14 2003 (am)
• 12th sitting: January 14 2003 (pm)
• 13th sitting: January 16 2003 (am)
• 14th sitting: January 16 2003 (pm)
• 15th sitting: January 21 2003 (am)
• 16th sitting: January 21 2003 (pm)
• 17th sitting: January 23 2003 (am)
• 18th sitting: January 23 2003 (pm)
• 19th sitting: January 28 2003 (am)
• 20th sitting: January 28 2003 (pm)
• 21st sitting: January 30 2003 (am)
• 22nd sitting: January 30 2003 (pm)
• 23rd sitting: February 4 2003 (am)
• 24th sitting: February 4 2003 (pm)
• 25th sitting: February 6 2003 (am)
• 26th sitting: February 6 2003 (pm)
• Bill as amended (HC Bill 55)

Remaining stages

• 1st day (New Clauses relating to Parts 3 and 4, new Schedules relating to Parts 3 and 4, Amendments relating to Clauses in Parts 3 and 4 and Amendments relating to Schedules 9 to 15): February 25 2003
• 2nd day (Remaining new Clauses, remaining new Schedules, Amendments relating to Clauses in Parts 1, 2, 5 and 6, Amendments relating to Schedules 1 to 8, Amendments relating to Schedules): March 4 2003

House of Lords

First reading: March 5 2003(HL Bill 41)

Second reading: March 25 2003

Committee stage

• 1st sitting: March 31 2003
• 2nd sitting: April 29 2003
• 3rd sitting: May 6 2003
• 4th sitting: May 15 2003
• 5th sitting: May 20 2003
• 6th sitting: May 22 2003
• 7th sitting: June 3 2003
• 8th sitting: June 5 2003
• Bill as reprinted: (HL Bill 73)

Report stage

• Day 1: June 23 2003
• Day 2: June 26 2003
• Day 3: July 1 2003
• Day 4: July 2 1002

Third reading: July 8 2003

House of Commons

Consideration of Lords amendments: July 14 2003

House of Lords

Consideration of Commons amendments: July 16 2003

Royal Assent: July 17 2003