Once a bill has completed all the parliamentary stages in both the House of Lords, and House of Commons, it is ready to receive royal assent. This is when the King formally agrees to make the bill an Act.

The Act will not have official effect until a future date; however, Ofcom is aiming to move quickly to implement the new Act.

They are phasing out the implementation:

• Phase one: Illegal Harms, will aim to come into legal effect in 2025
• Phase three: Duties on Categorised Services, will be in 2026

For the different phases, Ofcom will publish various statements on their final decisions, calls for evidence, and draft guidance over time.

The PPA has actively engaged with both Ofcom and the government regarding the Online Safety Act. We will persist in advocating that the protections for recognised news publishers must include PPA members.

If you wish to discuss these issues further with our team, please contact natasha.anku@ppa.co.uk or eilidh.wilson@ppa.co.uk

You can read more on the Online Safety Act’s Royal Assent status here.