Corporate report

Communications Act 2003: Fourteenth report on the Secretary of State's functions

Published 13 July 2026

Fourteenth Report on the Secretary of State’s functions under the Communications Act 2003, the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006, the Office of Communications Act 2002, the Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996, and the Online Safety Act 2023, by the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology

For the period of 20 December 2024 to 19 December 2025

Presented to Parliament pursuant to section 390 of the Communications Act 2003

July 2026

© Crown copyright 2026

ISBN 978-1-5286-6553-7

E03617804

1. Introduction

1. Section 390 of the Communications Act 2003 requires the Secretary of State to prepare and lay before Parliament reports about the carrying out of the Secretary of State’s functions under the following legislation:

• The Communications Act 2003;
• The Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006;
• The Office of Communications Act 2002;
• The Broadcasting Acts 1990 & 1996;
• The Online Safety Act 2023

2. The First Report (HC 325 July 2005) covered the period from 19 March 2002 to 28 December 2004. Every subsequent report to the first report must relate to the period of twelve months beginning with the end of the period to which the previous report related. This report (the “Fourteenth Report”) covers the period from 20 December 2024 to 19 December 2025 and sets out the functions exercised under legislation relevant to DSIT, DCMS and DHSC.

1.1 Previous Reports:

• First Report July 2005 HC 325
• Second Report July 2006 HC 1445
• Third Report July 2007 HC 594
• Fourth Report Oct 2008 HC 1037
• Fifth Report July 2009 HC 911
• Sixth Report July 2010 HC 171
• Seventh Report Nov 2011 HC 1613
• Eight Report Dec 2012 HC 791
• Ninth Report February 2014 HC 1057
• Tenth Report July 2021 HC 290
• Eleventh Report July 2023 HC 908
• Twelfth Report July 2024
• Thirteenth Report June 2025

2. Statutory Instruments

Power under which instrument made	Date made	Name of instrument	SI number	Description of what the instrument does
Communications Act 2003	06/02/2025	The Communications (Television Licensing) (Amendment) Regulations 2025	2025/133	These Regulations amend the Communications (Television Licensing) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/692) by providing for increases in the amount payable for most categories of TV licence, and the amount of each instalment for certain categories of TV licence which are payable in instalments.
Communications Act 2003	11/02/2025	The Community Radio Order 2025	2025/160	The Community Radio Order 2025, effective 1 April 2025, consolidates existing legislation governing community radio in the UK. The Order defines community radio services as non-commercial radio services that are required as a condition of their licence to provide social gain and community benefits to the served community. The Order also modifies the previous licensing requirements allowing for a further 10-year extension to community radio licences and relaxing advertising restrictions on community stations. The Order modifies relevant sections of the Broadcasting Act 1990 and the Communications Act 2003, revokes previous related orders, and includes transitional provisions for existing licences.
Online Safety Act 2023	26/02/2025	The Online Safety Act 2023 (Category 1, Category 2A and Category 2B Threshold Conditions) Regulations 2025	2025/226	The regulations set in law threshold conditions for three categories of online services that will be subject to additional duties on top of those applying to all user-to-user and search services in scope of the Online Safety Act 2023. These are Category 1 (large user-to-user services), Category 2A (large search services), and Category 2B (other user-to-user services). The Act requires Ofcom to then assess and designate services to the three categories, and to publish a register of categorised services – this is currently scheduled to be published in July. The additional duties are due to come into force in 2027.
Online Safety Act 2023	19/03/2025	The Online Safety Act 2023 (Commencement No. 5) Regulations 2025	2025/371	These Regulations were the fifth commencement regulations made under the Online Safety Act 2023 (c. 50) (“the Act”). They brought into force duties on providers of regulated user-to-user services to report Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (“CSEA”) content to the National Crime Agency (“NCA”), and other provisions, such as the offence relating to CSEA reporting and provisions relating to the Office of Communications’ (“Ofcom”) enforcement powers and the information offences, as they related to the CSEA reporting requirement. These Regulations have since been revoked.
Online Safety Act 2023	09/10/2025	The Online Safety Act 2023 (Commencement No. 5) (Revocation) Regulations 2025	2025/1064	These Regulations revoke the Online Safety Act 2023 (Commencement No. 5) Regulations 2025 (“the Commencement Regulations”), which would have brought into force provisions of the Online Safety Act 2023 (“the Act”) requiring certain providers of regulated user-to-user services to report child sexual abuse and exploitation content to the National Crime Agency. As a result, the provisions of the Act listed in regulation 2 of the Commencement Regulations will no longer come into force on 3 November 2025.
Communications Act 2003	02/04/2025	The Electronic Communications (Networks and Services) (Designated Vendor Directions) (Penalties) Order 2025	2025/443	The Order sets out rules for Ofcom to calculate the turnover of a provider when they contravene conditions set under the Communications Act 2003. It makes changes to the 2003 Act so that the rules in that legislation apply when calculating turnover for the purposes of determining a penalty for enforcement of designated vendor directions. It also defines what is to be treated as the network, service, facility, or business by reference to which the calculation of turnover is to be made. This SI removed any ambiguity around the original wording and provided legal certainty and absolute clarity on the rules that apply.
Communications Act 2003	03/06/2025	The Communications Act 2003 (Restrictions on the Advertising of Less Healthy Food) (Effective Date) (Amendment) Regulations 2025	2025/641	These Regulations amend the date on which the requirements introduced by sections 321A, 368FA and 368Z14 relating to the advertising of less healthy food and drink products and inserted into the Communications Act 2003 (c. 21) by Schedule 18 to the Health and Care Act 2022 (c. 31) take effect, changing it from 1 October 2025 to 5 January 2026.
Online Safety Act 2023	23/06/2025	The Online Safety Act 2023 (Fees Notification) Regulations 2025	2025/747	These regulations were laid in Parliament by the DSIT Secretary of State on behalf of Ofcom. The regulations establish the information providers must submit when notifying Ofcom of fee liability in relation to a particular charging year under the Online Safety Act 2023.
Online Safety Act 2023	22/07/2025	The Online Safety Super-Complaints (Eligibility and Procedural Matters) Regulations 2025	2025/919	This instrument establishes the relevant eligibility criteria and procedure for super complaints made under section 169 of the Online Safety Act 2023. These regulations enable eligible entities (bodies) to make super-complaints about systemic online safety issues to Ofcom, the online safety regulator. The issues that super-complaints can cover are set out in section 169 of the OSA and include where any feature of one or more regulated services, or conduct of any one or more providers of such services, is, appears to be, or presents a material risk of (i) causing significant harm to users or members of the public, (ii) significantly adversely affecting the right of users or members of the public to freedom of expression, or (iii) otherwise having a significant adverse impact on users or members of the public.
Online Safety Act 2023	17/07/2025	The Online Safety Act 2023 (Commencement No. 6) Regulations 2025	2025/888	This commencement order brings into force section 210 of the Online Safety Act 2023 on 25 July 2025. It repeals the video-sharing platform regime in Part 4B of the Communications Act 2003, marking the end of the transition period during which certain services were regulated under both regimes.
Communications Act 2003	10/09/2025	The Advertising (Less Healthy Food and Drink) (Brand Advertising Exemption) Regulations 2025	2025/1011	These Regulations provide an explicit exemption for ‘brand advertisements’ to the restrictions on the advertising of less healthy food and drink products imposed in standards set under section 321A or in sections 368FA and 368Z14 of the Communications Act 2003 (c. 21), as inserted by the Health and Care Act 2022 (c. 31).
Online Safety Act 2023	17/09/2025	The Online Safety Act 2023 (Qualifying Worldwide Revenue) Regulations 2025	2025/1032	These regulations were laid in Parliament by the DSIT Secretary of State on behalf of Ofcom. The regulations establish the type of revenue of a provider that will be used to determine fee liability under the Online Safety Act 2023 (“the Act”). The regulations also establish revenue that will be considered for penalty purposes in the event of non-compliance with the Act.
Online Safety Act 2023	18/11/2025	The Online Safety Act 2023 (Fees) (Threshold Figure) Regulations 2025	2025/1204	The regulations specify the threshold figure for the purposes of the online safety fees regime, setting the level of qualifying worldwide revenue at which providers of regulated services are required to notify Ofcom and, unless exempt, pay online safety fees. The regulations set the threshold at £250 million of qualifying worldwide revenue. This figure applies from the beginning of the charging year commencing on 1 April 2026.
Communications Act 2003	20/11/2025	Broadcasting (Independent Productions) Regulations 2025	2025/1235	These Regulations set definitions and quotas for broadcasters in relation to independent productions. They implement amendments to the regulatory regime for independent productions quotas for the BBC, S4C and Channels 3, 4 and 5 (PSBs), made by the Media Act 2024.
Communications Act 2003	20/11/2025	Broadcasting (Regional Programme-making and Original Productions) (Amendment) Regulations 2025	2025/1228	These Regulations make updates to the quotas for regional programme-making for public service broadcasters and amend the Broadcasting (Original Productions) Order 2004 in order to implement provisions set out in the Media Act 2024.
Online Safety Act 2023	18/12/2025	The Online Safety Act 2023 (Priority Offences) (Amendment) Regulations 2025	2025/1352	This statutory instrument updated the list of priority offences under Schedule 7 to the Online Safety Act 2023 (OSA), to add the offences of sending a photograph or film of any person’s genitals to another person (cyberflashing) at section 66A, and sharing or threatening to share intimate photograph or film at section 66B of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and the offence of “encouraging or assisting serious self-harm” in section 184 of the OSA. This means that in-scope services, such as social media platforms and search services, must prioritise these offences under the OSA’s illegal content duties. Services must take proactive steps to search for, remove, and limit people’s exposure to this content.

3. Statutory Functions

Power under which instrument made	Statutory Function	Date	Description
Online Safety Act 2023	Office for Communications Notices to Deal with Terrorism Content and/or CSEA Content Annual Report 2024	23 January 2025	A statutory annual report produced by Ofcom under section 128 of the Online Safety Act 2023, covering its functions related to issuing “technology notices” requiring services to address terrorism and child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA) content.
Broadcasting Act 1990	Channel 4 Report and Financial Statements 2024	21 May 2025	The Channel Four Television Corporation Report and Financial Statements 2024 Incorporating the Statement of Media Content Policy was presented to Parliament pursuant to paragraph 13(1) of Schedule 3 to the Broadcasting Act 1990.
Communications Act 2003	Thirteenth Report on the Secretary of State’s Functions under the Communications Act 2003 etc.	11 June 2025	Section 390 of the Communications Act 2003 requires the Secretary of State to prepare and lay before Parliament reports about the carrying out of the Secretary of State’s functions under the following legislation: - the Communications Act 2003 - the Wireless Telegraphy Act 2006 - the Office of Communications Act 2002 - the Broadcasting Acts 1990 and 1996 - and the Online Safety Act 2023
Online Safety Act 2023	Statement of Strategic Priorities for Online Safety	2 July 2025	Under section 172 of the Online Safety Act, the Secretary of State has the power to issue a Statement of Strategic Priorities relating to online safety matters. Under section 92 of the Online Safety Act, Ofcom must have regard to the statement when exercising its regulatory functions on online safety matters. The Statement of Strategic Priorities for online safety was laid in draft on 8 May 2025 and designated on 2 July 2025.
Online Safety Act 2023	Draft Protection of Children Code of Practice for Search Services	24 April 2025	Codes of Practice prepared by Ofcom under the Online Safety Act 2023 outlining measures that providers of search services (such as search engines) can take to meet their child safety duties.
Online Safety Act 2023	Draft Protection of Children Code of Practice for User-to-User Services	24 April 2025	Codes of Practice prepared by Ofcom under the Online Safety Act 2023 outlining measures that providers of user-to-user services (such as social media platforms) can take to meet child safety duties.
Online Safety Act 2023	Researchers’ Access to Information from Regulated Online Services	8 July 2025	A statutory report by Ofcom, required under section 162 of the Online Safety Act 2023, examining how independent researchers access data from regulated online services.
Office of Communications Act 2002	Office of Communications Annual Report and Accounts 2024-25 (HC 1022)	10 July 2025	Ofcom annual report and accounts for the period 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025.
Broadcasting Act 1990	S4C Annual Report and Accounts 2024–25 (HC 1052)	17 July 2025	The S4C annual report and statement of accounts for the 12-month period of 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 were presented to Parliament on 17 July 2025 pursuant to paragraphs 13(1) and 13(2) of Schedule 6 to the Broadcasting Act 1990.