Oftel wants to become a digital watchdog encompassing TV and the Net, the quango said today.

The proposal for a new regulatory framework encompassing the converging Communications sectors are set out in a report, Communications Regulation in the UK published today.

In it, the winged watchdog claims that the convergence of different media needs to be regulated by a single authority to allow "competition, investment and innovation to flourish".

David Edmonds, Director General of Oftel, said: "The convergence of the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors is having a profound impact.

"The new framework should create dynamic markets that deliver economic benefits to all consumers.

"Regulation should deliver quality, choice and value for money, while ensuring that consumers are adequately protected," he said.

The idea certainly has merit, especially if the new watchdog isn't a spineless, bureaucratic behemoth that is effectively powerless to act against those it seeks to regulate. ®