17 October 2000
Via Email

Dear Ms Ho,

Consultation paper on the revised version of code of practice on the provision of telecom services for the elderly and people with disability (dated 8 Sept. 00)

I welcome OFTA's action to enhance the previous version of code of practice, from which the elderly and people with disability will surely benefit.

May I reiterate here what I raised during the discussion of UCAC paper 9/2000 in Telecom. Users and Consumers Advisory Committee held on 19th August 2000. Issues discussed were covered in the draft minutes [paragraph numbers shown], as follows:

Dr Charles Lam agreed to the extension of the consultation scope, but opined that it should not be confined to telephone services. Nowadays, Internet software and webpage designs change rapidly; due to such changes, some citizens could be distanced (or barred) from information relevant to them,....[para. 12]

The chairman agreed to Dr Lam's suggestion.….[para. 13]

The chairman agreed that from the viewpoint of satisfying consumer needs, users of older versions of software should also be served, so that they could receive information contents transmitted by advanced software versions. OFTA would reflect such suggestion accordingly. [para. 15]

Overall, I hope contents of the code will fully, not just partially, follow its objectives:

-change of title from 'provision of telephone service' to 'provision of telecom services' to reflect the extension of code (Section 6a)

-extension of the scope to cover mobile telephone services, paging services and Internet services (Section 6b)
 

Difficulties in following these objectives should be openly and clearly addressed. Only in this way can there be good communications for solving them stage by stage.

With best regards,

Charles Lam
http://www.kamching.com/clam