Stop Silent Calls Campaign – Success At Last?

Ofcom has today announced that for the first time it has used its statutory powers to take action against companies making Silent Calls. It has imposed financial penalties of over 30,000 against each of four companies.

Stop Silent Calls Campaigner David Hickson commented: "Ofcom has at last acted in response to a complaint that I submitted on 1 December 2003".

"After three years of misleading announcements and inaction, Ofcom has now started to use its powers against the nuisance of Silent Calls by imposing financial penalties on four companies. This action will have an effect, but it must be seen only as the long-overdue start of Ofcom’s efforts to comply with parliament’s demand that Ofcom use its powers to eradicate the nuisance of Silent Calls."

There are a number of points of qualification to make about the announcement:
Ofcom appears not to have used its powers under section 129 of the Act to impose enforceable requirements that these companies cease the practice of making Silent Calls.

Ofcom still seems to focus on percentages of "abandoned calls" rather than on the fact that nobody should habitually hang up in silence after calls have been answered, regardless of how many other calls they make.

Whilst Ofcom has fined these companies, it has not even issued Notifications of Persistent Misuse to many other organisations, including government departments, which it knows to be making Silent Calls.

Ofcom has not provided any detail of the scale of the nuisance that these companies were causing. We have no way of judging whether the penalties are reasonable or proportionate.

Whilst there is much more still to do, I now see my campaign as having achieved its objective, as Ofcom has now started to use its powers. It is vital that all other cases are brought to the attention of Ofcom and that it is seen to take similar action.

I will be celebrating.

Related Pages

47 people respond to Ofcom’s Silent Calls Consultation

  

Parliament approves £2M fine for silent calls

  

Government confirms the silent calls penalty at £2 million

  

Liked this article? Why not get our latest articles delivered to you by email every week.