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Written question asked by Tom Brake (Liberal Democrat) on Tuesday, 17 April 2018, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 April 2018. It was answered by Margot James (Conservative) on Wednesday, 25 April 2018 on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.


Virgin Media

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he is able to intervene in circumstances in which Virgin Media fails to provide telecommunication services to a charitable organisation within a reasonable timeframe.

Answer

Using the new powers in the Digital Economy Act 2017, Ofcom has introduced, amongst other actions, an Automatic Compensation Scheme that will benefit around 90% of landline and broadband customers in the UK from early 2019. As part of this scheme, if a provider promises a residential customer to start a new service on a particular date, but fails to do so, they will have to pay £5 for each calendar day of delay. For business customers, Ofcom is also introducing new rules to ensure all SMEs are given clearer, more detailed information upfront about what service quality to expect. This includes whether they can claim compensation when problems occur.

At present, if the charitable organisation has a customer relationship with Virgin Media, the complaint for failing to provide telecommunication services can be pursued with Virgin Media. If Virgin Media are unable to resolve the situation within eight weeks, or where the complaint reaches deadlock, the case can be referred for alternative dispute resolution (ADR) to the Communications & Internet Services Adjudication Scheme (CISAS), providing it meets the scheme’s eligibility criteria. Further details about their service can be viewed at: https://www.cedr.com/consumer/cisas.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
136136
Session
2017-19
Registered interest declared
Yes
Subjects
Charities Standards Telecommunications Virgin Media
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk