Virgin Media has been fined £23.8MN after failing to protect thousands of vulnerable customers.
In a report published earlier this week, UK broadcast regulator, Ofcom, had concluded that the telecommunications giant had failed to follow regulations by disconnecting some of its most vulnerable customers from their only source of contact.
It was further determined that Virgin Media had neglected to identify and keep track of landline users who relied on network-connected emergency alarm systems.
In an X post on Monday, the UK broadcast regulator had announced its decision to fine Virgin Media after determining that the steps taken had placed many of its landline users at risk.
“We have fined Virgin Media £23.8 million for putting vulnerable customers at risk of harm while migrating them from analogue to digital landlines.”
This incident had occurred during Virgin Media’s decision to switch its landline users from analogue to digital after concluding that its older, copper-based network was becoming increasingly unreliable.
And just over a year after launching a nationwide transition to modernize its telecare customers, the provider had observed several incidents during this migration process.
At the end of 2023, Ofcom launched its investigation into the communications provider after being notified of possible regulatory misconduct between August 2022 and December 2023.
Virgin Media, which had contacted the regulator over migration concerns, was found to have violated its policies under general condition C5.2, concluding that Virgin Media had failed to:
Identify and record telecare customers in accordance with its policy, noting significant gaps when documenting and screening customers to identify their status, resulting in many customers being unable to access adequate support.