Ofcoms Survey - Ships.

'Ofcom proposes Degrading Maritime Safety'

This would be a good heading for the ideas projected by Ofcom for their proposals with the Marine Licence.

They are dabbling with "Safety at Sea".

It is thought that the Marintime Proposal is a model for the Amateur Radio Proposal, yet to be published.

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Click below. Having looked at them, click on your browser's BACK button (top left) to come back to this Web Page.

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Ofcom's Proposals

Ofcom have produced a detailed paper on their Proposals. It is 26 pages long and reproduced below in PDF format. Rather than spend time reading it online, it is suggested that it is "Saved to Disk" on your computer to read at your leisure. Ignore the "Question Sheet" at the end as a more user friendly version is produced below in Doc format (3).

   (1) Ofcom Proposal - in PDF - 160K

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MCA Briefing Paper

Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) Briefing Paper which questions the sense of the Ofcom Proposal. The MCA are affiliated to the Dept of Transport.

   (2) MCA Briefing Paper - in Doc - 24K

As an island nation, 97% of the UK's trade by weight is by sea, and there can be no doubt that shipping is vital to the UK economy. Our fishermen and fishing communities also rely on the sea for their livelihood, and many of us use beaches and the coast for leisure and sport. We have 10,500 miles of outstandingly beautiful coastline.

The MCA is responsible throughout the UK for implementing the Government's maritime safety policy. That includes co-ordinating Search and Rescue (SAR)at sea through Her Majesty's Coastguard, and checking that ships meet UK and International safety rules.

The MCA works to prevent the loss of lives at the coast and at sea, to ensure that ships are safe, and to prevent coastal pollution Safer Lives, Safer Ships, Cleaner Seas.

Should you need to contact the MCA at any time the MCA's Infoline is available 24 hours a day on:

Tel: 0870 6006505

e-mail: infoline@mcga.gov.uk

Website of MCA - www.mcga.gov.uk

or by post to:

MCA Infoline
Tutt Head
Mumbles
Swansea
West Glamorgan
SA3 4HW

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MCA to Ofcoms interchange of letters.

The MCA are equally worried about what Ofcom are proposing and have entered in an interchange with Ofcom on finer points of detail.

Reading the interchange it seems as though the MCA do not want the job of administering Ship's Radio Licenses but it does not want Ofcom to walk away from their responcibility either.

We have a feeling Ofcom will issue "For life Licenses" but to an Agency. Ofcom have indicated that they will implement a much tighter Regulation/Inspection than previously indicated - Do not know what Staff they will use, maybe pass this to an Agency as well!.

Read the interchange on the Ofcom Web Site. This loads quite quickly as it is nearly all text.

   Ofcom Web Address - http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/src/responses/mca_ofcom/

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Responses

   (4) CARS Formal Response - in PDF. - 27K

   (5) G8DET's Formal Response - in PDF. - 12K

   (6) John Robson's Formal Response - in PDF. - 9K

   (7) INMARSAT Formal Response - in PDF. - 17K

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Responses as displayed by Ofcom

Note, as some of these are written on coloured paper, they can take a little time to load when using a "Dial-up" link

   Ofcom Web Address - http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/condocs/src/responses/

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