The Ofcom team in Belfast represents Ofcom in Northern Ireland and Northern Ireland in Ofcom. We ensure that we keep in touch with the views and opinions of citizens and consumers, the regulated industries and stakeholders more generally in Northern Ireland and factor these into our policy and decision-making.
We do this by consulting through regular industry and political contact, hosting events to discuss key policy issues, and ensuring that as wide a variety of stakeholders as possible are aware of our work.
There is an Ofcom Board member for Northern Ireland, Karen Baxter, who sits on the main Ofcom Board, as well as a Content Board member, Maria McCann, for Northern Ireland.
We are also able to draw on the experience and expertise of Ofcom’s Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland.
Jonathan Rose, Director Ofcom Northern Ireland
Jonathan oversees all aspects of Ofcom’s work in Northern Ireland, including managing relationships with telecoms providers and local broadcasters, as well as Ofcom’s public affairs and media relations work.
Contact Jonathan: Jonathan.Rose@ofcom.org.uk
James Stinson, Regulatory Affairs Manager
James is responsible for broadcasting (TV and radio). He leads on consumer affairs and manages external and internal communications for Ofcom in Northern Ireland. He also liaises with stakeholders and feeds into Ofcom’s policy and research work.
Contact James: James.Stinson@ofcom.org.uk
Judith Carville, Regulatory Affairs Manager
Judith leads on telecoms and spectrum issues in Northern Ireland and manages communications with politicians, civil servants and NI Assembly officials. Her role involves ensuring that stakeholders know and understand the implications of Ofcom’s policy and that relevant Northern Ireland issues are taken into consideration within Ofcom’s policy and research work.
Contact Judith: Judith.Carville@ofcom.org.uk
Bimpe Archer, Regulatory Affairs Associate
Bimpe is the Northern Ireland online safety lead. She is working to build public awareness of Ofcom’s future regulation of online services and platforms, engaging with politicians, government departments, industry, academia and civil society. She also leads Ofcom’s media literacy work in Northern Ireland, helping people participate and stay safe online.
Contact Bimpe: Bimpe.Archer@ofcom.org.uk
Jane Hillis, Regulatory Affairs Advisor
Jane manages the Belfast office and looks after the administration for the team in Northern Ireland. She also provides support to Ofcom’s Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland.
Contact Lisa: jane.hillis@ofcom.org.uk
Philip Morgan, Operations Manager Nations and Crown Dependencies
Philip manages Spectrum Operations in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, plus the UK Crown Dependencies, Isle Man and the Channel Islands. The team’s primary responsibility is to keep the civil radio spectrum free from harmful radio interference and ensure legitimate users can access radio spectrum for a wide range of business and personal applications.
Contact Philip: Philip.Morgan@ofcom.org.uk
Stuart Lannie, Senior Spectrum Engineering Officer Nations and Crown Dependencies
Stuart’s role involves investigating radio interference cases, including those involving safety of life, business radio and domestic radio. Safety of life cases include aircraft, Coastguard and emergency services. Business radio interference cases include mobile networks, utilities and onsite radio systems. Domestic interference includes TV cases passed from the BBC and Amateur Radio interference.
Contact Stuart: Stuart.Lannie@ofcom.org.uk
Robert Barfoot, Spectrum Engineering Officer
Robert is a Spectrum Engineering Officer in the Spectrum Assurance Team, based in Belfast. His role is to investigate and protect against interference to a wide range of radio services, including aircraft, marine, amateur, mobile networks and broadcast radio.
Contact Robert: Robert.Barfoot@ofcom.org.uk
The Advisory Committee for Northern Ireland advises Ofcom about the interests and opinions, in relation to communications matters, of persons living in Northern Ireland. Find out more about its role and members.
Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 (the Act) requires public authorities, in carrying out their functions relating to Northern Ireland, to have due regard to the need to promote equality of opportunity and regard to the desirability of promoting good relations across a range of categories outlined in the Act.
In this draft revised equality scheme we set out how Ofcom proposes to continue to fulfill its Section 75 duties.
We will commit the necessary resources in terms of people, time and money to make sure that the Section 75 duties are complied with and that our equality scheme is implemented effectively, and on time.
We commit to having effective internal arrangements in place for ensuring our effective compliance with the Section 75 duties and for monitoring and reviewing our progress.
We will develop and deliver a programme of communication and training with the aim of ensuring that all our colleagues are made fully aware of our equality scheme and understand the commitments and obligations within it. We are committed to raising awareness of the Section 75 duties in our equality scheme among consultees.
We, the Chairman and Chief Executive of Ofcom, are fully committed to effectively fulfilling our Section 75 duties across all our functions (including service provision, employment and procurement) through the effective implementation of our equality scheme.
We realise the important role that the community and voluntary sector and the general public have to play in ensuring the Section 75 duties are effectively implemented. Our equality scheme demonstrates how determined we are to ensure there are opportunities, for people affected by our work, to positively influence how we carry out our functions in line with our Section 75 statutory duties. It also offers the means whereby persons directly affected by what they consider to be a failure, on our part, to comply with our equality scheme, can make complaints.
On behalf of Ofcom and our colleagues we are pleased to support and endorse this equality scheme which has been drawn up in accordance with Section 75 and Schedule 9 of the Act and Equality Commission guidelines
Revised Northern Ireland Equality Scheme for Ofcom (PDF, 515.9 KB)
The Disability Action Plan for Northern Ireland shows how Ofcom proposes to fulfil its duties under Section 49A of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA 1995) (as amended by article 5 of the Disability Discrimination (Northern Ireland) Order 2006), to have regard, when carrying out its functions, for the need to:
- promote positive attitudes towards disabled people; and
- encourage participation by disabled people in public life.
Disability Action Plan for Northern Ireland (PDF, 411.5 KB)
Last updated July 2022