Ofcom has today fined BT £800,000 for failing to provide an improved text-to-voice service between April and September last year.
The service, called ‘Next Generation Text Service’, helps users have more natural conversations using speech as well as text, and is accessible on devices such as PCs, laptops, tablets and smartphones.
In October 2012, Ofcom told all UK landline and mobile phone providers to launch their service by 18 April 2014.
BT missed the deadline having encountered technical problems with the sound quality of emergency calls. It launched Next Generation Text on 24 September 2014.
In June last year, Ofcom opened an investigation into why the improved text relay service was not available as required from April.
BT said that the delay was a one-off incident, which was caused by problems identified with the sound quality of emergency calls.
Ofcom acknowledged that the emergency calls problem became apparent late on and the level of financial harm to consumers was limited.
However, providing an improved text relay service is an important requirement designed to ensure that people with hearing or speech impairments have equivalent access to phone services.
BT had 18 months to meet that requirement and did not do so for five months after the deadline for complying.
Claudio Pollack, Ofcom’s Consumer and Content Group Director, said: “The size of the penalty imposed on BT reflects the importance of providing an improved text relay service to its customers with hearing and speech impairments.
“However, BT has invested significantly in launching the new text relay service, which allows users to have conversations more easily and fluently and on new devices. We welcome the fact the service is now operating successfully.”
BT must pay the £800,000 financial penalty to Ofcom and it will then be passed on to HM Treasury.
Ofcom has published a consumer guide to text relay to help users make the most of the additional benefits offered by the next generation service.
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amell
March 17, 2015
That is crazy money.
I would have much preferred that they use that fine money to benefit service users by developing better apps and increasing the outreach programme for NGTS. BT are now less likely to do that with such a huge fine hanging over the service…
pennybsl
March 17, 2015
Makes us wonder…did the Government tell OFCOM to clobber BT mightily, so it would claw back dosh for its debts?
pennybsl
March 17, 2015
After reading about the reasons for the technical problems causing the delay, it would really benefit us Deafies MORE if the £800,000 could be passed into promotion of NGT.
NGT – this needs a better ‘easy to remember’ title after we have accustomed to Typetalk for 20 years plus.
The huge amount of the fine could, throughout the UK, provide fully accessible workshops in BT/Phone shops to show users of NGT how to use it in various gadgets.
The Government has not been kind to us Deaf people with its handling of AtW, communication in Healthcare, cuts to LA funding affecting Deaf Education, etc etc …..HM Treasury DOES NOT deserve the fine.
OFCOM please do note this common-sense request.
sue
March 17, 2015
Managed to link my home phone number but it won’t link my husband’s mobile. No idea what I’ my supposed to do next though!
Cathy
March 17, 2015
How stupid is this?!?! An £800,000 fine could do so much for deaf people in other technical circles aswell as other groups. Is HMRC going to help disabled groups now with this money? Will they heck as like!!! It will probably be frittered away on various expenses n foreign aid!!!! Iam totally disgusted!!
Antony Rabin
March 18, 2015
Outrageous fine when BT are doing a good cause to make the service right for Deaf people at the end. This is better, they got it sorted with NGT relay quicker than us everyday facing poor subtitles often on TV and Ofcom does not do fines on these subtitles providers for doing it for so long! We suffer for a long run on subtitles and they get away for NOTHING!
Deafnotdaft
March 19, 2015
Well, I’m not only deaf but a BT shareholder too. So I’m annoyed on two fronts.
No doubt Ofcom would have preferred to see NGT launched with the problems unsolved rather than waiting for the service to be trouble-free, which just shows how little regard Ofcom have for deaf people.
Ofcom were already the subject of ridicule for their ineffectiveness. This sort of macho swaggering won’t win them any respect.
SignVideo
March 23, 2015
That money should indeed go towards improving access to telecommunications for deaf people. Also, it’s important to remember that Text Relay isn’t for everyone. For many BSL users, English is not an accessible language. SignVideo Chair Jeff McWhinney talking: