Communications Act 2003

269 Changes of service policy

(1) The regulatory regime for the public teletext service includes a condition requiring compliance with subsection (2) in the case of a statement of service policy containing proposals for a significant change.

(2) This subsection requires the provider of the service—

(a) to consult OFCOM before preparing the statement; and

(b) to take account, in the preparation of the statement, of any opinions expressed to the provider of the service by OFCOM.

(3) A condition imposed under this section must further provide that, if it appears to OFCOM that a statement of service policy has been prepared by the public teletext provider in contravention of a condition imposed under subsection (1), that provider is—

(a) to revise that statement in accordance with any directions given to him by OFCOM; and

(b) to publish a revision of the statement in accordance with any such directions only after the revision has been approved by OFCOM.

(4) A change is a significant change for the purposes of this section if it is a change as a result of which the service would in any year be materially different in character from in previous years.

(5) In determining for the purposes of any condition under this section whether a change is a significant change—

(a) regard must be had to any guidance issued by OFCOM;

(b) the changes to be considered include any changes that, together with any proposed change for a particular year, would constitute a change occurring gradually over a period of not more than three years;

(c) the previous years with which a comparison is to be made must be those immediately preceding the year in which the change is made, or in which the changes comprised in it began to occur; and

(d) any change that is a significant change in relation to so much of the public teletext service as is provided in digital form or in relation to so much of it as is provided in analogue form is to be regarded as a significant change in relation to the whole service.

(6) It shall be the duty of OFCOM—

(a) from time to time to review the guidance for the time being in force for the purposes of this section; and

(b) to make such revisions of that guidance as they think fit.