The Wireless Telegraphy (Licence Award) (Amendment) Regulations 2021

Statutory Instruments

2021 No. 250

Electronic Communications

The Wireless Telegraphy (Licence Award) (Amendment) Regulations 2021

Made

5th March 2021

Coming into force

9th March 2021

The Office of Communications (“OFCOM”), in exercise of the powers conferred by section 14(1), (2), (3), (4), (6) and (7) and section 122(7) of the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006(1) (the “Act”), make the following Regulations.

OFCOM have not given notice of a proposal to make these Regulations under section 122(4)(a) of the Act nor published notice of a proposal to make these Regulations under section 122(4)(b) of the Act because it appears to OFCOM that by reason of the urgency of the matter it is inexpedient to publish such a notice and therefore, in accordance with section 16(2) of the 2006 Act, subsections (4) to (6) of section 122 of the Act do not apply.

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Wireless Telegraphy (Licence Award) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 and shall come into force on 9th March 2021.

Amendment of the Wireless Telegraphy (Licence Award) Regulations 2020

2.—(1) The Wireless Telegraphy (Licence Award) Regulations 2020(2) are amended in accordance with the provisions of this regulation.

(2) In Schedule 6 (Determination of 700 MHz paired frequency lot additional prices)—

(a) after the end of paragraph 3(1), insert the words “bids or one of the valid combinations of 700 MHz paired frequency lot assignment stage bids (as the case may be) having the highest total value of amounts bid.”; and

(b) in paragraph 3(2), after the words “Where the amount of a bid” delete the words “bids or one of the valid combinations of 700 MHz paired frequency lot assignment stage bids (as the case may be) having the highest total value of amounts bid”.

Philip Marnick

Group Director, Spectrum Group

For and by the authority of the Office of Communications

5th March 2021

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Wireless Telegraphy (Licence Award) Regulations 2020 (S.I. 2020/1199) (the “Principal Regulations”).

Schedule 6 of the Principal Regulations deals with the determination by the Office of Communications (“OFCOM”) of the additional price to be paid by winning bidders of 700 MHz paired frequency lots. It is amended to correct a drafting error in paragraphs 3(1) and 3(2).

The Regulations delete wording in paragraph 3(2) and insert that same wording into paragraph 3(1). (The Regulations therefore make these paragraphs consistent with the similar wording in paragraphs 3(1) and 3(2) of Schedule 4 and paragraphs 3(1) and 3(2) of Schedule 5.)

These Regulations do not have any effect on the cost of business additional to the effect of the Principal Regulations and a full regulatory impact assessment of the effect the Principal Regulations will have on the cost to business has been prepared and is available to the public from the OFCOM library at Riverside House, 2a Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA, telephone [phone] or on the OFCOM internet website at www.ofcom.org.uk. Copies of the impact assessment have also been placed in the libraries of the Houses of Parliament.

(1)

2006 c.36.

(2)

S.I. 2020/1199.