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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

If my noble friend is saying that Ofcom has not yet risen to the challenge of being the protector of the consumer up to now—I would not necessarily support that view but I understand the concern—that still does not take away the need for us to ensure that we have a modern digital infrastructure that covers the whole of the UK. If we are not saying that we are going to place less importance on ensuring that—the noble Lord says that that is not what we are saying—and if we really care about consumers’ interests, then Ofcom has a duty to deal with both those concerns. I am giving an assurance today that this qualifier will not override Ofcom’s principal duty to further the interests of citizens and consumers. We will take it away and see if we can further reinforce it, but there is no intention that the clauses as they stand will somehow devalue the importance of the interests of citizens and consumers.