Consultation: Online Safety - fees and penalties

This is the first consultation that Ofcom, as regulator of the Online Safety Act 2023, is publishing as part of our work to implement a new fees and penalties regime for online safety.

The Act requires that Ofcom’s operating costs for the online safety regime are covered by providers of regulated services through a fees regime, and that the calculation of fees should be based on providers' qualifying worldwide revenue (QWR). The Act also stipulates that the same determination of QWR for fees is also used to calculate the maximum penalty cap that can be imposed on a provider in breach of its duties under the Act, although we have the power to take a different approach where we find joint and several liability.  

This consultation sets out our proposals for fees and penalties, including:

• The definition and threshold of qualifying worldwide revenue (QWR)
• An exemption from the fees regime
• Our approach to the Statement of Charging Principles
• Details providers must supply and the way in which they must be supplied for fees notification
• Our proposals for QWR when setting maximum penalties

Responding to this consultation

Please submit responses using the response form no later than 5pm on 9 January 2025.