[cma-l] Ofcom Report - Ensuring a nation of connected citizens

Sat Nov 1 02:16:04 GMT 2014

Hello Nick,

We have done very well to date, but as you also say, by a tremendous effort.  Bringing the money, grants, support in kind being mainly on my shoulders (although not part of my job!) so putting in very long hours for over six years without which we would not be here today.

I did manage to get Minister Ed Vaizey to visit our studios 2 years ago to demonstrate what can be achieved but also to say what could be achieved if we were allowed to help ourselves more commercially.  We've received positive communications from him since then, but nothing yet re changing the status of Swindon and the other 17 stations unable to be commercial in any way.

I was invited to go to the House Of Commons a couple of months ago to make a presentation and was supported there by one of our Swindon MPs.  Our other MP was made Ed's assistant recently - so on contacting him this week I received a call back saying Ed would be "making a speech before the end of the year re changes and support for Community Radio" and "it's the process that has to be gone through that is delaying that speech".    I'm not giving in. It's now watch this space!  

 Shirls

 Shirley Ludford

Mob: 07951 366289

High Sheriff's Award for Services to Community

Pride Of Swindon Award
Patron: Commonweal School 
Patron: DPAG

Station Manager. Trainer
SWINDON 105.5
www.swindon1055.com

________________________________
 From: Canalside's The Thread <office at thethread.org.uk>
To: 'The Community Media Association Discussion List' <cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk> 
Sent: Friday, 31 October 2014, 12:30
Subject: Re: [cma-l] Ofcom Report - Ensuring a nation of connected citizens

Telecoms  
Dear All

Over the past ten years there have been a
number of people who have laughed at me, had little swipes, dismissed the ‘rants’ 
(if that is what one wants to call them)   but alas, folk are missing
the crux of the matter as it is all coming to fruition …. All the things
I said are coming true, they have been correct from the outset and the
fundamentals that we need to flourish have been turned into a debacle and
certain members of the DCMS etc etc     Ed being one of
them in my opinion, have just treated Community Radio with contempt as if we
are something that gets stuck under your shoe.

Let me point out quite clearly that those
areas where Community Radio may have failed, we have failed not because of our
own efforts and determination but because of others who are sat in Ivory Towers
on High Horses creating completely unworkable situations.

I will say my usual saying ‘’wake
up and smell the coffee’’ and start listening to the people at
ground level who know what they are talking about. The people who have come
through the difficulties, the restrictions, the lack of funding, the juggling,
the spinning of 35 plates, the volunteers who are doing 85 jobs a week …
they are the ones that matter NOT the Commercial cowboys, they can look after
themselves. Oh and folk like me who work 80 hours a week and get paid for 30.
By the way, I’m not complaining, I wouldn’t change it for the World
… the complaint is about the ‘situation in genral’

Sorry for the rant again, but hear me out,
we will end up having to do it the way I have suggested since the outset,
because if we don’t we will all fail. Of course there are success
stories   Swindon for one   the fact that a lot of us
function at a limp but still deliver the goods is in itself a success story,
but we could do better … take the chains and shackles
off     re:- frequency / restrictions / bureaucracy / unnecessary
workload   etc    and watch us flourish. It’s
not how we earn our crust, it is what we spend the money on that matters.

Oh, and by the way, those who have
projects in place for the next five years but their licence runs out in two,
give them an extension to their licence  NOW !   we certainly
don’t want to put more work in to then have the carpet pulled out from
under us in 2017 because some back door Commercial outfit have got their beady
eyes on the licence, which trust me, is happening.

Help those who deserve it, please Mr
Vaizey.

Thank you

Regards

Nick

________________________________

From:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk 
[mailto: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk ] On Behalf Of Ian Hickling
Sent: 31 October 2014 11:47
To: cma-l
Subject: [cma-l] Ofcom Report -
Ensuring a nation of connected citizens

My immediate comments on a cursory reading of this report:

CITIZENS AND COMMUNICATIONS SERVICES REPORT

Ensuring that communications services work in the interests
of UK 
citizens.

Publication date 31 October 2014

From the Foreword from the Chairman, Dame Patricia Hodgson:

Access to good communications is important for every one of
us. Reliable and affordable services oil the wheels of our daily lives and
support the economy and society as a whole.
And increasingly, new technology is at the heart of those
communications.
Our ability to access, use and rely on not only our
television, phone and postal services, but also our mobile phones and broadband
connections, determine how fully we can play a part in our economy, society and
culture.
No mention of radio.
In the UK ,
we have a strong tradition of securing citizens’ access to communications
services.
Not really borne out in Ofcom’s
treatment of the Community radio sector.
In the postal sector, for landline phones and in
broadcasting this has led to the principle of ‘universal access’,
secured through a combination of competition and regulatory interventions.
Ofcom set a 98% indoor coverage requirement on one of the 4G mobile licences,
while the government has established a Universal Service Commitment for basic
broadband.

2.1  Availability

Broadcasting. The national digital TV switchover programme
significantly increased the availability of digital terrestrial television
(DTT) services. Over 20 TV channels, including the main Public Service
Broadcasting channels and high definition services, are now available to over
98.5% of the UK 
population. An even greater number of purely commercial channels are also
available on DTT to around 90% of the population. Satellite and cable coverage
also provide platform choice for citizens, although neither offer coverage as
high as DTT.
Today, DAB coverage is increasingly widespread, but does
not yet match FM coverage, being patchier in rural areas and in the Nations.
Minimal mention of radio.

5.6 Broadcasting

Community radio stations have been licensed on FM and AM
around the UK ,
with stations generally serving a small area (around a 5km radius). They are
not-for-profit stations and members of the local community typically get
involved in producing output and running the station. These stations are
intended to bring ‘social gain’ benefits for their target
community, such as opportunities for training. Community stations must serve a
community of interest such as a particular age, ethnic or language group.
There are over 200 community stations broadcasting across
the UK ,
with another 35 stations preparing to launch. Ofcom is still licensing new
services; for example in October 2014 we announced the licencing of three new
community radio services in Staffordshire.
That would have been an ideal opportunity
to bring out the Ofcom commitment as put to the House by Ed Vaizey of its
intention to make a Community Radio station available to every community which
wants one – unless of course that’s not now the case

TV coverage

Satellite and cable coverage also provide platform choice
for citizens, although neither offer coverage
as high as DTT.
I think there is room to question that
statement.

Section 7
Ensuring that communications services are affordable
Nothing about Community Radio

Section 8
Future opportunities and challenges
Nothing about Community Radio

Section 9
Glossary
An interesting item from the Glossary:

DAB Digital audio broadcasting. A set of
internationally-accepted standards for the
technology by which terrestrial digital radio multiplex
services are broadcast in the UK .
I think there is room to question that
definition.

________________________________

From:
Updates at maillist.ofcom.org.uk
To: transplanfm at hotmail.com
Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2014 21:04:01 +1100
Subject: Ensuring a nation of connected citizens

Web Version | Update preferences            

  Ofcom has today published a report outlining work to help ensure that everyone in the UK benefits as much as possible from communications services.
Ofcom’sCitizens and Communications Services report looks at the availability, accessibility and affordability of communications services in the UK .
The report highlights the progress made over the last 10 years in ensuing communications services have kept pace with the changing needs of UK  citizens, as well as developments in technology.
It also assesses the challenges facing Ofcom, Government and industry in ensuring the benefits of the communications market are shared across society and the growing expectations of UK citizens are met.
A news release can be found here.

Subscribe to lists
	* Telecoms 
	* Broadcasting
	* Radio Spectrum
	* Competition Bulletin
	* Numbering
	* Consumer Information
	* Media Literacy
	* Postal Services    

  By joining our email list you agree to the use of open tracking cookies by our third party provider. It stores data, including personal data, outside the EU/UK and uses cookies to monitor when you open emails. Knowing which updates you read and when you read them will help us improve our service. 

No action is necessary unless you choose to unsubscribe from this service. By unsubscribing you may be removed from several Ofcom lists.    

________________________________

   This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.  

_______________________________________________

Reply - cma-l at commedia.org.uk

The cma-l mailing list is a members' service provided by the Community Media Association - http://www.commedia.org.uk
Twitter: http://twitter.com/community_media
http://www.facebook.com/CommunityMediaAssociation
Canstream Internet Radio & Video: http://www.canstream.co.uk/
_______________________________________________

Mailing list guidelines: http://www.commedia.org.uk/about/cma-email-lists/email-list-guidelines/
_______________________________________________

To unsubscribe or manage your CMA-L mailing list subscription please visit:
http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/cma-l
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.commedia.org.uk/pipermail/cma-l/attachments/20141101/a3155c3f/attachment.html>