Regulation

Ofcom is the authority of Fixed line telecoms, mobiles, postal services and the airwaves over which wireless devices operate. Ofcom make sure that communication services don’t use scams and/or sharp practices in the UK. 

The main duties for Ofcom ensure: 

• The UK has a range of electronic communication services with high speed services.

• People have a wide range of HD television and/or radio programming and is provided for the UK public, appealing to the range of different tastes and interests.

• The television and radio services are provided by a range of different organisations.

• That people who choose to watch television or listen to the radio are protected from harmful or offensive material.

• That the UK public are protected from being treated certain ways, such as; unfairly having your privacy invaded in the case of television and radio programmes.

• A universal postal service is provided in the UK so that something can be delivered universally to collection points across the country.

• The radio spectrum ( the airwaves used by taxi firms and boat owners to contacts companies and broadcasters used in the most effective way.

The ASA


The ASA tries to make sure that advertising in the UK is legal therefore being truthful and decent. The ASA does this in an attempt to benefit consumers, business or society. The ASA is aiming to get better at regulating ads in all forms of media for e.g in television, newspapers and on the internet, the ASA tries to do this by making a success of regulating online ads, Being an effective part of the response to societal issues shown to be affected via advertising, being more efficient and in tune with all of their customers, business and society and so on. 


The ASA has a set list of values and aim to stand by them though out. They are Committed to:

• Being accessible to members of the public and the advertising industry as a whole
• Resolving complaints without unnessecary delay, While Recognising that the complex complaints can and usually do take long
• Being effective in meeting the need of the customers, whether it be members of public or industry
• Delivering a high quality and a professional service
• Being Open about our procedures or decision making, and being fully accountable for they’re performance

The ASA handles Complaints by seeing if they come under the catogories of being legal, Decent, honest and truthful. The ASA doesn’t independantly remove adverts and take them down, it usually relies on the complaints from the public to bring it to the ASA’s attention yet doesnt rely on the amount of complaints on weather an advert is taken down

Regulating

ASA regularly checks adverts in any media to regularly conduct surveys of advertisements published by sectors in there is either unsatisfactory compliance with the codes or where the societal concerns about that sector are. The advertising Codes require that all of the claims must be substaintiated before the advert is published or aired on television. A vast majority of TV and radio ads are pre cleared before they are broadcast