05/17
TELECOMMUNICATIONS ACTION GROUP / TAG
Registered charity number 1051222
Annual Report for the year to 31 December, 2004
The Telecommunications Action Group (TAG) is constituted by adoption of a Constitution and registered as Charity No 1051222. Its address is 36 Victoria Street, Wetherby, Yorkshire LS22 6RE. The Telecommunications Action Group formally changed its name to TAG on 27 October 2004 and at the same time revised its aims to embrace all forms of electronic communications, including both telecommunications and broadcasting. This was to reflect the legislative changes introduced by the Communications Act 2003 and the setting up of the regulator, Ofcom.
The charity trustees during the year to 31 December, 2004 were:
Mrs Ruth Myers Chair
Mr Geoff Brown Vice Chair (to 21 April)
Mr Bill Pechey Vice Chair (from 21 April)
Mr R R Trotter Secretary
Mr David M Myers Treasurer
The Honorary Officers are the Trustees of TAG, they hold office for two years and are eligible for re-election bi-annually in rotation.
The member organisations of TAG are British Deaf Association, Deaf Broadcasting Council, Deafax, Deafblind UK, Deafness Support Network, deafPLUS, Hearing Concern, National Association of Deafened People, National Deaf Children’s Society, Royal Association in Aid of Deaf People, Royal National Institute for Deaf People, and Sense.
TAG’s mission is to promote equality of access to electronic communications, including telecommunications and broadcasting, for deaf, deafened, hard-of-hearing, deafblind people and sign language users, especially in terms of function and cost. A good working relationship has been established with Ofcom, PhoneAbility, BT Age and Disability Action and other bodies. TAG is represented on SG16, the Consumer Forum on Communications, the Digital Expert Group and the Deaf Broadcasting Council, and is a member of the United Kingdom Council on Deafness. TAG responds to relevant industry documents and endeavours to attend as many events as possible to ensure that deaf and hard of hearing people have a ‘visible voice’. TAG monitors European issues and developments in EU Directives.
Funding TAG’s activities continues to be problematic. We are therefore grateful for the donations received during the year and to BT for their continued support. Thanks to sponsorship from BT Age and Disability Action, IMS, ITFC and ITV and speech to text services provided by BBC Broadcast, we were able to hold a successful seminar on Communications, attended by 70 delegates, in October.
Consultants play an increasingly important part in ensuring that TAG carries out its activities by providing help and advice and TAG greatly appreciates the time they give up to this.
Three issues of our newsletter Sequel, which is distributed to approx 400 opinion formers and service providers, were produced in 2004. TAG’s fact sheets – one containing general information and the other on mobile phones - were revised and updated. In conjunction with the broadening of TAG’s remit a new logo, strapline, vision and mission have been adopted. TAG also has a new website address at tagcomm.org.uk which is kept up to date through the dedicated work of our webmaster, Geoff Brown.
The main focus of our work in 2004 has been to ensure that the development of new services is inclusive and accessible for those with all degrees of hearing loss. TAG has therefore established a good relationship with the new regulator, Ofcom, and has held a number of meetings with various personnel to put our viewpoint as stakeholders. TAG has also responded to a number of Ofcom consultations, including those on 0845/0870 numbers, on new voice services, and on television access services, as well as to the first phase of the Strategic Review on Telecommunications. TAG also invited Ofcom to attend its April meeting to enable committee members to hold a wide ranging discussion on universal service issues, prior to the expected review of the Universal Service Obligation.
TAG continues to develop contacts with mobile phone service providers and has held meetings with them. TAG has been disappointed that the mobile companies have been slow to implement access to the relay service via TextDirect from their networks as required by General Condition 15, with only Vodafone bringing out a solution during 2004.
TAG continues to press for improvements in BT TextDirect and the relay service for text users, RNID Typetalk. Regular meetings are held with relevant managers in BT, and TAG has also continued to lobby Ofcom on these matters. The results of the research project on text communication, which TAG was instrumental in BT setting up, were published in the spring and yielded valuable data on the usage of various forms of communication.
The Trustees appreciate the help and support given by member organisations and organisations with which we are in contact.
Declaration – I declare, in my capacity of charity trustee, that:
Signed: