DRS CASE LAW NON UK DISPUTES ORIGINAL DRS
Claire Milne is an experienced independent telecoms policy consultant, active both nationally and internationally. She works closely with UK consumer organisations and sits on a number of public bodies. In keeping with general trends, she is increasingly involved with the internet, as an enthusiastic user, consumer representative, and policy adviser. She has had a continuous close involvement since 1983 with UK telecoms regulation, and has a good general knowledge of relevant topics in many other countries, and especially of the evolving European scene.
Since 1989, she has been vice-chair, communications, of the Public Utilities Access Forum (PUAF), a voluntary sector umbrella body which campaigns for the interests of low-income users of energy, water and communications. In July 1997 Oftel announced new arrangements for universal service in telecoms. Now seen as very important for the developing Information Society, this topic was overlooked in the UK before PUAF launched public debate in 1990. In parallel, PUAF helped to achieve more and better informed consumer input to the whole range of telecoms policy issues, including price control, quality of service, and privacy.
From 1992 to 2001, as a director of ICSTIS, the self-regulatory body for premium rate telephone information and entertainment services, she contributed to improved procedures as well as to a clearer Code of Practice which protects consumers better. In 2000, she was appointed to the restructured Board of the Internet Watch Foundation, with special responsibility for consumer concerns. In 2001, she became an Oftel Consumer Consultant.
Having previously been an independent member of Oftel's expert Numbering Advisory Group (now disbanded), in late 1999 she was asked to chair Oftel's Working Group on the Use of Numbers. This body advised Oftel on codifying and where necessary changing users' rights and responsibilities in numbers, including potential trading rights - a high profile issue since the Freephone Users Group's intervention with the Trade and Industry Select Committee in 1999.
Claire was the first co-opted member of the Executive Committee of the Telephone Helplines Association, a registered charity, which exists to provide quality and confidence for callers to helplines in the fields of health, education and social welfare. Helplines are increasingly turning to the internet to enhance their services to users.
From 1992 to 1995, she was a public interest member of the Monitoring Committee, Complaints Subcommittee, and the Training and Accreditation Committee of Lautro (Life Assurance and Unit Trust Regulatory Organisation).
Trading since 1992 as Antelope Consulting, she works flexibly as an independent expert, team member or project leader. Recent projects include:
- In 2001, for the UK Department for International Development, leading a team studying the costs of internet access in developing countries, focusing on the international component of costs. This project produced case studies of 6 developing countries as well as a review of the relevant law and regulation.
- In 2000, for the UK Department for International Development, leading an overview study of the information and communications technology situation and needs of 16 countries of Central and Eastern Europe, with a view to identifying possible UK Government interventions in the interests of poverty alleviation and equitable development.
- In 2000, for the European Commission's Consumer Policy Directorate, review from a consumer interest viewpoint of the proposed new European communications legislation.
- In 2001 and 2000, for the International Telecommunications Union Asia-Pacific Region, acting as rapporteur to conferences for consumer representatives in telecoms, and supporting their efforts to participate more fully in the policy process, with a view particularly to increasing affordable access to telecoms and the internet.
- In 2000, preparation of best practice guidelines for public internet access provision for the Council of Europe.
- From 1997, advising Oftel among future options for numbering administration and charging, intended to permit individual number allocation and number portability.
- In 1994, for DANTE, exploring the availability of public network infrastructure to support the next generation high-speed European research backbone network, and preparing a strategy for negotiations with network operators and regulators.
From 1989 to 1992 Claire was a Principal Consultant with Ovum Ltd, telecoms and information technology specialists. This period included the critical UK Duopoly Review, which resulted in a much wider opening of the telecoms market (until then restricted to BT and Mercury). Claire worked with both existing and potential industry participants, and also with consumer groups and Oftel, in considering alternative policies and outcomes. Other assignments while with Ovum included pricing reviews for both UK and overseas telephone companies, and numbering plan reviews for Oftel, the European Commission, and several national regulatory authorities and telephone companies in Europe. Since leaving employment with Ovum, Claire has remained an Ovum Associate Consultant.
From 1975 to 1989 Claire worked at British Telecom in a variety of management positions. Starting as a teletraffic engineer, she moved on to exchange design and network strategy. In 1983 she joined the team that was laying the groundwork for the then new competitive regime in telecommunications. Here she had special responsibility for the policy aspects of BT's first operating licence under the Telecommunications Act 1984, and worked with legal draftsmen in BT and the DTI to ensure that agreed underlying intentions were realised. Later, on promotion, she was responsible for the Strategic Marketing Plan for BT's Local Communications Services department and, in the early days of competitive cellular telephony, for Marketing Strategy for BT Mobile.
Claire's university education was in Mathematics (Cambridge) and Statistics (Imperial College). She enjoys languages: her French and Italian remain serviceable, and she plans to revive her rusty Russian and Greek when the opportunity arises. Her children were born in 1984 and 1988. When family commitments allow, she likes to explore interesting places in person.
