Watch out, world! Ofcom is off the leash to bite radio jammers

The UK radio regulator will start regulating the use of radio spectrum, but only at Olympic venues and only for the duration of the Games, despite calls for Ofcom to be given longer-lasting clout. Anyone interfering with public safety radios during the Olympics, and near any Olympic site, will have Ofcom on their backs, thanks …

[peter 45]

Now thats Consultation for you

6 pages from RSGB pointing out regulatory flaws, and the entire response from OFCOM.....a single word response 'yes'.

Sill, they can claim they consulted extensively and responded to people's concerns (without actually doing anything), so they met the point of the consultation, didn't they?

[Anonymous Coward]

I think the two fingered salute is appropriate here.

[Lee Dowling]

I've yet to really see an "OfWhatever" do what it's supposed to do.

They have repeatedly ignored whole swathes of things they should be cracking down on. "Unlimited" broadband? Still see it listed (e.g. on the article on Three today). Can I report unwanted / silent callers to anyone and get a decent response? No.

And when they do act, it's a token slap-on-the-wrist and say-no-more.

A watchdog with no teeth is nothing more than nuisance to everyone.

[Anonymous Coward]

@ Lee Dowlling

"A watchdog with no teeth is nothing more than nuisance to everyone."

Au contraire, a quick browse of their report and accounts reveals that there's some people OFCOM isn't a nuisance to. For example, Ed Richards, chief exec of the country's most ineffectual and useless regulator was paid £363,000 last year. I'll bet he doesn't think OFCOM's a nuisance. Then there's the ten other executives each paid an average of a quarter of a million quid for their valuable "services". Not to mention the non-execs, the most poorly paid of whom got over £40k for attending perhaps twelve meetings. Star performers in this universe of talent were outgoing non-exec chairman Philip Graf, who trousered £100,000 - not bad given that as a non-exec you're in charge of nothing, and incoming Colette Bowe, doing her bit to bring women directors into the same high repute as male directors. She relieved OFCOM of £183,000 in 2011, and that will come in very handy, because her salary as chairman of Electra Private Equity plc was a measly £150,000. And she only picked up about £10,000 as a trustee of the Nuffield Foundation, the £25,000 she can get as a non-executive director of the UK Statistics Authority won't go far, nor will whatever she gets as chairman of the Associated Board of the Royal School of Music. And she probably doesn't get much for being a board member of AXA Deutschland GmbH. It looks as though she may still be a board member of Morgan Stanley International. Then there's being chair of Queen Mary College London, Camden People's Theatre (right on, comrades!), and various other posts indicated. As you can see, she'll be spending a lot of time at OFCOM, with all those other interests taking a back seat.

So, Mr Dowling, I challenge you to take back your assertion that OFCOM is a nuisance to everyone.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: @ Lee Dowlling

Cheers for that. May I add some clarifications and additions?

"incoming Colette Bowe,"

Are you sure? Ms Bowe has been Chairperson at Ofcon since 2009, and on the Board at Ofcon since 2008. [1]

She is however incoming as Chairperson of the Associated British Royal Schools of Music, as of July 2012.

And one of her previous roles you didn't mention was as chair of the eminently well known Personal Investment Authority in the mid 1990s.

How does she manage it all?

She may be pleased you didn't mention her history with Westland/Heseltine/Brittan. So I'll mention them.

[1] http://www.ofcom.org.uk/about/how-ofcom-is-run/ofcom-board-2/members/colette-bowe-2/

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: @ Lee Dowlling

@AC 22:05

Yes, I accept your correction. Philip Graf isn't outgoing chairman, he was outgoing deputy chairman (so he's not even in charge of next to nothing, he was deputy in charge of next to nothing). That makes his circa £100k even more outrageous. Ms Bowe has indeed been chairman for a few years. There is a whole host of past appointments I didn't mention, but that a quick search will reveal. Current appointments not yet mentioned include being a trustee of the Tablet Trust (either religious propaganda or The True Word, depeding on your perspective), and being a governor of Bancrofts School (fees per pupil £13,600 per year, if you're interested).

[Alister]

Watchdog back in the kennel after the Olympics

Still toothless, even out of it's kennel.

I wonder how it feels to be gummed to death by a toothless watchdog, or drowned in a sea of slobber...

[Anonymous Coward]

OfLaunch

There will soon be missiles in various locations.

Can't they be retained and used on an ongoing basis to suppress nonconforming equipment?

[Anonymous Coward]

Interesting "difference-that-is-not"

This is an interesting "difference-that-is-not" between OfComm and the FCC. In theory the FCC regulates ANYTHING that can emit RF, be it deliberate or accidental, is regulated by the FCC - so a TV must be a part 15 device (unlicensed emitter) and must follow the regs.

In theory.

In practice, the FCC operates under the principle of "mind over matter" : if nobody who matters minds, then it doesn't matter, so never mind. So in practice it's not much different than OfCom.

[Jan 0]

Aside: "different than"

Blimey, I thought the fuss was over whether we should say "different from" or "different to'.

Never mind multiplication tables, when are schools going to teach consistent use of prepositions?

P.S. I'm much amused by* your explanation of "mind over matter".

* or whatever preposition you deem appropriate.

[Graham Wilson]

@David D. Hagood - - Re: Interesting "difference-that-is-not" - - Re: Intereference

The Four Axioms of Interference

For proper spectrum management, regulation should extend to ALL four 'points' of interference so as to maximise the use (i.e.: max number of available channels) of the spectrum. In recent times, it seems, the interference axioms are often conveniently forgotten:

1. Noise/Non Msg ==> RX

From: non-message producing devices (suppression, shielding of electrical switch noise) ==>

To: message receiving devices, RX (selectivity, intermodulation & dynamic range)

2. RX ==> RX

From: message receiving devices, RX (local osc. radiation, shielding) ==>

To: message receiving devices, RX (selectivity, intermodulation & dynamic range)

3. TX ==> RX

From: message producing devices, TX (power to fit service area, spurious rad., location) ==>

To: message receiving devices, RX (selectivity, intermodulation & dynamic range)

4. (TX ==> Non-RXing devices)

From: message producing devices, TX (power to service area, spurious rad., location) ==>

To: Non message receiving equipment (audio amps, pacemakers, etc.)

(For the Smart Alecs: I know that there's TX ==> TX, Noise ==> TX but that's more a problem for users than regulators.)

[Pete 2]

The tail that wags the (watch)dog

One could assume that our new overlords and masters; the International Olympic Committee had a clause in the contract (otherwise known as the UK's new constitution) that requires the host nation (otherwise known as The Fiefdom) to have such a rule in place. It sits alongside all the other ones that grant the IOC virtually absolute power in controlling, disrupting and diminishing the lives of the poor sods serfs who live anywhere near an olympic venue.

All in the name of sport - the IOCs; seeing how far they can push a potential host nation into servitude with the sorts of demands that would make any on-tour pop prima-donna blush with embarrassment

[Colin Millar]

Re: The tail that wags the (watch)dog

I am fairly certain that the olympics is just a trial run for seeing how much we take to being run by a venal, corrupt, elitist bunch of unaccountable autocrats.

If we are OK with it we are going to apply to join the EU.

[Loyal Commenter]

Re: The tail that wags the (watch)dog

Err... you are aware that we are a member of the European Union, and have been since 1973? I'm pretty sure that we are also already run by a bunch of corrupt autocrats, as we always have been.

That said, the 'Lympics is a massive and pointless waste of our money, and a shocking display of the triumph of corporate greed over common sense.

[Colin Millar]

re: Re: The tail that wags the (watch)dog @loyalCommenter

No!! I don't believe it - when did that happen? About the same time your irony detector went on the blink?

[Anonymous Coward 15]

Re: The tail that wags the (watch)dog

I wonder if they want each athlete to be provided with a bag of brown M&Ms.

[The last doughnut]

Clearly inept

This is the same bunch who plan to flog off the so called white space (otherwise known as guard bands).

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Clearly inept

You might be surprised at the amount of ongoing work designed to protect the incumbent users of the white space frequencies...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Clearly inept

Perhaps because we pointed out that one of the biggest of those users was the Olympics, so if they screwed us over as much as they originally planned we were not going to have a Games.

They still screwed us over - just not as badly as originally intended. I suspect it added rather a lot to the cost of the Games as well.

[Anonymous Coward]

Ofcom regulating?

Ahahahahahaha.

Good one.

Ofcom haven't regulated anything in a decade.

Get to fuck with this nonsense, Ofcom are there to rubber stamp anything telecos want to do.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Ofcom regulating?

Ofcom haven't regulated anything in the last 30 years....

Since Maggie sacked all the ex-MoD staff who actually knew what they were doing and replaced them all with Estate Agents...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Ofcom regulating?

Well I'd say early 90s they lost any technical ability but 2003 was the point at which Ofcom became a total joke. I do hope the current arsehole in charge of Ofcom gets the DG role at the BBC so we can get rid of the licence fee ASAP.

[April Rain]

Sprogs

There are many unlicensed VHF/FM broadcasters in a stone's throw of the Olympic Site. I am certain some of them are radiating 'sprogs' in the spectrum range OffCon are referring to. Interested to see what happens.

[frankthefrank]

Clueless and Witless

If you read through the mind numbing legalise and look at the responses it is completely clear that Ofcom is both clueless and witless. It is also clear that the beardies in corduroys at the RSGB do understand what is needed.

In this age of austerity why not simply contract out the spectrum management to the RSGB and pack the wasters at Ofcom off to be house agents.

[Trygve Henriksen]

Re: Clueless and Witless

Yes, give the management job to the RSGB, but don't send the OFCOM staff anywhere else.

Keep them all in the same place. If need be, set up a fence(preferably with barbed wire and electricity) around the headquarters. That way they won't be able to mess up anything else...

[Anonymous Coward]

"why not contract out the spectrum management to the RSGB?"

"why not simply contract out the spectrum management to the RSGB and pack the wasters at Ofcom off "

One reason would be that BT Vision would (quite rightly) have to come off the market in its Powerline-Ethernet incarnation.

And we can't be having that, though actually the recent rise of the "smart TV" probably means that BT Vision's day is nearly done anyway. Especially so in a little while once people realise that $30 (retail) of hardware plus a bit of free software can turn a "dumb" TV into as smart a TV as anyone could need.

[Jonathon Green]

Re: "why not contract out the spectrum management to the RSGB?"

"And we can't be having that, though actually the recent rise of the "smart TV" probably means that BT Vision's day is nearly done anyway. Especially so in a little while once people realise that $30 (retail) of hardware plus a bit of free software can turn a "dumb" TV into as smart a TV as anyone could need."

So how are these smart TVs going to be getting their connectivity then?

They're not all going to be in the same room as the broadband router, all the former BT Vision customers aren't going to find that the cabling Pixie has visited overnight to grant them the boon of pervasive Cat5/6, and badly configured cheap WiFi in an environment of other badly configured cheap WiFi installations is still not going to be able to handle multiple HD video streams.

You may hate and despise BT Vision for bringing PLT to the attention of the masses with a ready made use case but if you think it's demise will make the need/desire/market for an easy, simple, and effective way to extend a network round the home go away I fear you may be disappointed...

[Graham Wilson]

Re: "why not contract out the spectrum management to the RSGB?"

Ha, the spectrum noise floor would be so low we'd be almost back before Faraday.

No plasmas, no iPhones, no switch mode power supplies, no police radars, no surveillance cameras, no car ignition systems...

I like it (at least for a week or so).

[Graham Wilson]

Re: "why not contract out the spectrum management to the RSGB?"

Irrespective, it should be axed, ASAP.

BPL/PLT/PLC is an abomination--no ifs, no buts! It's perpetrators should be strung by the S&Cs from a meat hook, and anyone who has the hide to call it 'engineering' should be sent to the stocks.

It's concept is fundamentally flawed--it relies on one method of communication (it) to obliterate another--by screwing up the whole of the commercial spectrum and upping the RF noise floor around the entire planet. It's the world's dirtiest TX since the spark gap/Tesla coil and it feeds into the world's biggest antennae--the power line grid.

How this stuff ever got off the ground says heaps for what's happened to Spectrum Management since the Reagan/Thatcher era.

It sucks big, big time! I cannot think of a worse 'design' example/implementation in modern history.

---

P.S.: It's easily jammed -- conveniently take power from a GPO, convert it into jamming signals with $2.0 worth of bits then feed it immediately back down the line. It's a security risk, especially if emergency communications traffic is sent over its circuits. What a joke. ...And regulators STILL approved this??

[Fihart]

Urban interference.

These days very little seems to be done about so-called music stations broadcasting from the tops of tower blocks and blotting out BBC FM stations. Most seem to be highly commercial, promoting local venues. Following the money and nicking those who sponsor pirate stations might be more effective than trying to confiscate hardware.

[Loyal Commenter]

Re: Urban interference.

On the other hand, they are doing you a favour by blocking out BBC FM stations.

[Anonymous Coward]

Spectrum enforcement by RSGB/ARRL

I like it!

No more BPL and noisy plasma sets.

[Graham Wilson]

Once there was a broader principle at work in spectrum management.

Once there was a broader principle at work in spectrum management whether FCC, OfComm or whatever regulator.

It was a pretty simple axiom really, that was to keep the general noise floor down across the whole spectrum. What's happened worldwide since the beginning of the Reagan-Thatcher years is the general erosion of that principle.

How was it done? Simple:

Rule 1. Close down and outsource government spectrum authorities/regulators around the world.

Rule 2. Make sure you get rid of RF and spectrum management engineers first.

Rule 3. Outsource the regs.

Rule 4. Auction spectrum (MONEY speaks MUCH louder than spectrum noise).

[Graham Wilson]

Re: The heart of the problem... IT'S VERY SIMPLE.

MONEY!

(As I said above, MONEY speaks MUCH louder than spectrum noise.)