Regulatory Bodies

What is a regulatory body and what is a regulatory framework?

A regulatory body puts conditions, requirements and restrictions in place in order to set standards for businesses to run by. By having these standards, it means that there is a certain expectation for businesses to meet, this might be conditions for employees, or standards for products or services. Regulatory framework is the systems of the regulations and how they enforced.

OFCOM- This is a regulator and competition authority for UK industries, it aims to regulate the TV and radio sectors as well as airwaves and wireless devices. They also regulate postal services by making sure that letters are sent within 6 days. This is to help keep standards higher so that customers get good service.

ASA- ASA is a company which process complaint from customers and businesses about advertisements that may be offensive or misleading, they also monitor any ads. They conduct research to test public opinion and only act when necessary. They have the power to have any ads that they consider to be ‘wrong’ removed. This is a government run company that doesn’t cost the taxpayer any money.

PCC- A PCC (Parish Church Council) these regulations were put in place for people working on charity owned buildings. This come into place after a worker was injured when doing work on a church. It means that the government pay the compensation and not the charity.

BBFC- This is the UK’s film and video regulator, they provide the age limits and ratings for films that are released in the UK. They also have the power to reject projects if they don’t think that they are safe, or good enough for the public to view. This was put in place so that people can easily see age limits on films and what sort of thing the film includes.

PEGI- (Pan-European Game Information) this company are a rating system for video and computer games. The ratings are determined from the content of the games such as language, discrimination, drugs, fear, violence, gambling and sex. By setting these standards consumers know what is included in the game and therefore whether they would want to buy it either for them or for someone else.

Creative industries council- the creative industries council is a joint forum between creative industries and the government. Their role is to check the growth and barriers in the sectors and monitor any changes. This can help them decide what to put any funding they have on such as further education for different creative sectors.

DCMS- The DCMS is the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, their aim is to promote growth and enrich Britain abroad. They protect cultural and artistic heritage, this is especially important for the creative industries because it mean that they get promoted and protected wherever they are, and their history and culture are highlighted and invested into.