Oftel boss rewarded with Ofcom job

David Edmonds, head of UK telecoms regulator Oftel, has been named a non-executive board member of the new super-regulator Ofcom, but he has already warned it will do little to solve the UK's rural broadband crisis

Edmonds, who has often been criticised for running a toothless, BT-friendly, watchdog during his tenure as director-general of Oftel, will now continue to play a major part in shaping the UK telecoms market until at least 2005.

The Department of Trade and Industry announced the make-up of the Ofcom board today. Edmonds will join Urmila Banerjee - who plans to give up her current position on the Channel 4 board - and Sara Nathan. Nathan's current work includes membership of the Radio Authority, and she has previously worked as an editor at Channel 4 News, and at BBC Radio.

Richard Hooper, chair of the Radio Authority, will be deputy chairman of Ofcom. The government also plan to appoint Ian Hargreaves - director of the centre for journalism studies at Cardiff University, and formerly the editor of The Independent - to the board at a later date.

Each non-executive board member will receive £30,000 in return for working a two-day week.

Ofcom will replace Oftel, the Radiocommunications Authority, the Independent Television Commission, the Broadcasting Standards Commission and the Radio Authority. It will come into effect once the Communications Bill receives Royal Ascent, which could be as early as July 2003.

Lord David Currie was appointed chair of Ofcom in July. Shortly afterwards, it transpired he had recently published a research paper that recommended the break-up of BT - an issue which the culture, media and sport select committee has advised Ofcom to consider.

Interestingly, two of the Ofcom board members have formerly worked for BT. Banerjee spent 25 years with the telco, rising to director level in BT's products and services division, while Hooper was chief executive of value added services at British Telecom (as it was) from 1981 to 1986.

Graeme Wearden writes for ZDNet.co.uk