Ofcom has appointed former NTL broadcast managing director Alan Watson as the official adjudicator for broadcast transmission services in the UK.

Watson's responsibilities will include resolving disputes between Arqiva and its customers to ensure that broadcast services are supplied on terms that are fair and reasonable. He will also make sure that charges reflect the costs that are incurred.

Watson, who will take up his new position shortly, is currently a consultant specialising in the design, planning and delivery of digital terrestrial television.

The appointment of a mediator was one of the criteria agreed upon during the Competition Commission's investigation into Macquarie's merger of Arqiva and National Grid Wireless. The move resulted in the UK having one company controlling radio and TV transmission.

The merger was formerly accepted by the Competition Commission at the beginning of September, some 16 months after the deal was initiated.