Don Cruikshank, the director general of UK telecommunications watchdog Oftel, is to step down once his current five year term of office ends in March 1998. Cruikshank insists his decision reflects a desire to work in the private sector, and is not a result of conflict with the UK government. There is absolutely no falling out between me and the government on any matter of policy, Cruikshank said in a statement. But Cruikshank recently criticized the 1984 Telecoms Act as out of date and not sufficient to halt anti-competitive behavior. He called for the government to set up a new super regulator to oversee the regulation of the telecommunications, broadcasting and information technology industries (CI No 3,248). It was thought that Cruikshank himself was interested in the job, but he now insists that the decision to step down from Oftel was made a year ago. The search for a successor is now underway.
