(Postal) penalties kick off

The UK postal industry regulator Postcomm has taken the first step towards setting up a regime which will enable it to impose financial penalties on postal licence holders who contravene their licence conditions. A consultation document on the penalties set out a number of proposals. These include that investigations should be carried out before any decisions are made; that the starting point in deciding the level of penalties following a licence contravention will be the benefit obtained by the licence holder, added to the burden the contravention imposed onothers, and that any penalties will meet the statutory criteria of being reasonable and within the limits related to turnover. Several companies have already applied for licences to operate within the UK and a number of short term interim licences have been issued.