The regulations represent additional measures to further implement Article 8. The Regulations modify existing fixed Public Telecommunications Operators and non-PTO public call box operators' licences so that the regulatory regime formalises and standardises the many facilities and special services which telecoms operators currently provide voluntarily and through varying licence obligations for disabled customers. The Regulations will implement further the Directive and will enshrine more firmly the principles outlined in the Directive in the UK regime. Risk Assessment Community law creates binding legal obligations and rights. The Regulations will minimise the risk of disabled groups challenging the Government for inadequate compliance with or implementation of the Directive in the courts.
Community law creates binding legal obligations and rights.
The Government believes that existing measures in licences issued under the Telecommunications Act 1984 implement Article 8 already, but that further steps could be taken. Of these, option 2 has been chosen. Identify the benefits The expected benefits are a licensing regime which will be more oriented to the needs of the disabled community, facilitating more equal access to telecoms services for the disabled where appropriate. This should lead to greater use of telecoms services by the disabled, benefiting the telecoms operators also, through increased goodwill and additional use of their networks. It is however impossible to predict the precise benefits to the telecoms industry or the disabled community as a whole, since the greater ease of use of telecoms services, and the rebates for users of textphones, may engender different responses from different disabled consumers.