ITC report to committee on Communications Bill

The Independent Television Commission (ITC) have published evidence prepared for the Joint Scrutiny Committee on the draft Communications Bill.
Setting out what it sees as the key issues in relation to the Bill, the ITC states that it believes the Bill goes a long way to meeting the government's objectives of creating the framework for "a dynamic market, maintaining universal access to services of the highest quality, safeguarding citizens and consumers, and minimising regulation".
The ITC have highlighted the proposed liberalisation of media ownership rules as an opportunity to help attract the investment needed to deliver enhanced services for consumers. It also believes that the Content Board, with strong representation from the nations and regions, should ensure that important 'cultural' issues receive proper attention, allowing the main OFCOM board to focus on overall economic regulation and competition concerns.
In other areas, while the agreeing with the general thrust of the Bill, the ITC believes further work is required.
However, the commission believe that more work will be needed on the "broad outline in the Bill for overall public service requirements" delivered by the whole sector. The definition of public service broadcasting (PSB) is taken from the BBC Licence and Agreement and is, says the ITC, "too demanding for the commercial sector without the BBC". The ITC have called for OFCOM to agree the remits for each PSB commercial provider in relation to practicality based on revenues.
The ITC also believes that for self-regulation to work OFCOM needs to report annually to parliament – providing independent high-level analysis of what the market is supplying and public service broadcasters are delivering. According to the ITC statement: "We envisage a high level, broad brush analysis that informs self-regulation and makes it work. Without it, OFCOM will be left reacting to the commercial PSB annual reports without substance to draw on."
Elsewhere, the ITC welcomed the requirement for nominated news providers to be adequately funded by the licensees who procure their services, since quality comprehensive news services "are fundamental to a healthy democracy".
"By the same token, we believe that obligations on broadcasters in current legislation to provide a sufficiency of news in peak time should be carried forward into the Bill," the ITC concluded.
ITC, www.itc.org.uk
(GMcG)