Ofcom forced to reconsider iTrip ban
The Office of Communications (Ofcom) has been under pressure to follow the US's lead and rescind the ban on personal radio transmitters such as Griffin's iTrip, the BBC reports. Yes, anyone with half a brain can see that it is an idiotic interpretation of a 57-year-old law, but Ofcom still apparently needs six months to decide an issue which Joe Public could decide in 5 minutes.
Clayton Hirst, the head of corporate relations at Ofcom, said his organisation was "working with other European administrations to develop a common set of standards to allow some low-power devices to be sold and used in the UK". A full public consultation would precede any change to regulations, he said. However, he warned that some devices currently on sale "may not meet these technical standards, designed to minimise interference to other radio users". "As a result, they are unlikely to be authorised for use in the UK in the future," he added. It is believed that Ofcom could announce progress on the issue before the end of this year.
