The Enforcement Bulletin is where Ofcom publishes our investigations into potential breaches of regulatory, consumer and competition rules; how we've resolved regulatory disputes between companies; and other work we've done to address our concerns about compliance.
You can:
- read about our open and closed cases; and
- find out more about what the Enforcement team does.
Each case has a page we update as it develops, and you can subscribe to email updates from us.
New and open cases
The Bulletin provides information about a new case as and when it launches, with more information added as the case progresses. These cases include complaints, disputes and programmes to monitor the industry’s compliance with Ofcom’s regulations. See the full list of open cases.
Closed cases
When concluding an investigation, we will publish the outcome with the rest of the information relating to the case. We will then mark the case as closed. See the full list of closed cases.
Cases being appealed
The outcome of an Ofcom investigation can be challenged by appealing to the Competition Appeals Tribunal. If an appeal has been lodged with the Competition Appeals Tribunal then this will be noted in the Bulletin under the case being appealed.
Before March 2003
You can also access issues of the Competition Bulletin from before 1 March 2003 . Oftel (Ofcom’s predecessor in the telecoms market) published these on a quarterly basis.
The role of the Enforcement Team is to monitor the communications markets we regulate to secure compliance with legislation, regulatory rules and consumer rights. We carry out investigations into the activities of businesses that we consider may have breached their regulatory obligations or compliance with other legislation, such as the Competition Act 1998. We also work directly with businesses to explain and clarify our expectations on compliance.
It is obviously not possible for us to investigate every complaint or dispute, so in general the team prioritises issues that may be of widespread concern to consumers, significantly impact competition in communications markets, or is a dispute between companies that cannot be solved effectively through any other means. Further details on our criteria for accepting cases are set out in Ofcom's Approach to Complaints and Disputes (PDF, 373.9 KB).
We have separate teams dedicated to spectrum enforcement (such as radio or television interference) and broadcasting content and standards.
Consumers
If you want to complain about your phone, broadband or postal service, something you have seen or heard on a TV, radio or on-demand programme, interference to a wireless device, or something you have seen on a video-sharing platform, you can make a complaint to us online.
Although we don’t investigate individual complaints, your complaints can lead to investigations and to us taking action.
Companies and organisations
If you think you need to make a complaint about a communications provider breaching their legal obligations you should read our Advice for complainants (PDF, 186.1 KB). It is worth noting that Ofcom does not tend to get involved in contractual disputes between businesses and their communications provider.
Communications providers
If you are a communications provider and think you need to refer a dispute with another communications provider to Ofcom you should also read our Dispute Resolution Guidelines (PDF, 276.7 KB) . If you need further information about how to submit a complaint, please contact the Enforcement Team at competition.complaints@ofcom.org.uk
You can sign up to receive email alerts from Ofcom whenever the Bulletin is updated.
Comments are welcome on any of the cases that the Enforcement Team is working on, especially new cases where extra industry input would be useful and cases where remedies are proposed. If you would like to comment on a case, or enquire as to the progress of a case, please contact the Case Leader via the contact details listed on each case’s Bulletin entry.
Alternatively, comments can be sent to competition.complaints@ofcom.org.uk
Please mark comments for the attention of the Case Leader for the specific project, including the case reference number. In supplying comments you should indicate whether you are prepared to let us disclose the full details of the information supplied, including whether you are willing to be identified, in any subsequent correspondence Ofcom has with the party under investigation or with other interested parties. Confidential material should be marked as such and not sent via the Internet address.
It should be noted that Ofcom's experience has shown that it can be difficult to pursue a case successfully if we are not able to provide all the necessary information to the subject of the complaint.
Ofcom has produced guidance setting out our powers and the processes we will follow in conducting investigations into adherence with regulatory rules, consumer protection issues, competition issues and resolving regulatory disputes.
Approach to enforcement
- Enforcement guidelines for regulatory investigations
- Enforcement guidelines for Competition Act investigations (PDF, 1007.1 KB)
- Procedures for investigating breaches of competition-related conditions in Broadcasting Act licences (PDF, 784.7 KB)
- Advice for complainants (PDF, 186.1 KB)
- Penalty guidelines
Dispute guidelines
- Dispute resolution guidelines - June 2011 (PDF, 276.7 KB)
- Postal disputes supplement - April 2012 (PDF, 50.7 KB)
- Payment of costs and expenses in regulatory disputes - September 2013 (PDF, 128.9 KB)
- ATI dispute resolution guidelines – December 2016 (PDF, 555.5 KB)
Approval of Redress Schemes under the Competition Act 1998
As a result of changes made to the Competition Act 1998 by the Consumer Rights Act 2015 and supplemented by the Competition Act 1998 (Redress Scheme) Regulations 2015, from 1 October 2015 the CMA and the sector regulators with concurrent competition powers, including Ofcom, have new powers to approve certain voluntary redress schemes in cases involving the infringement of competition law.
Where a business offers a redress scheme, those affected by the infringement are able to claim compensation through such a scheme without the need to pursue litigation in the courts.
The CMA and the concurrent regulators are required to publish guidance on the handling of applications made to them for the approval of redress schemes.
In August 2015 the CMA published guidance on voluntary redress schemes. Ofcom has been fully consulted on the contents of the guidance and has decided to adopt the guidance in relation to redress schemes in competition cases affecting those sectors where Ofcom has concurrent competition powers, namely in communications sectors including broadcasting, telecommunications and postal services.