Select committee: Communications and Digital Committee
Recommendation 32
1st Report - Public service broadcasting: as vital as ever
Published 5 Nov 2019
Paragraph 247
Communications and Digital Committee Public service broadcasting in the age of video on demand inquiry All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Recommendation (the committee's words)
Free to air and free at the point of use are key attributes of public service broadcasting. PSBs should continue to be required to offer their content across all TV platforms. But we are concerned that the way in which technology can be used to deprive PSBs of advertising revenue suggests a lack of balance in the arrangement. To counter that imbalance, we recommend that Ofcom should be empowered to review the ‘must offer, must carry’ regime to ensure that it is adequate as TV moves online. In particular, it should consider whether TV platforms should be required to pay a reasonable retransmission fee to compensate commercial public service broadcasters. If so, the quantum of the fee should be determined by Ofcom on a periodic basis.
From: Communications and Digital Committee, 1st Report - Public service broadcasting: as vital as ever, paragraph 247, 5 November 2019
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 18 February 2020.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The Government shares the Committee's view on the importance of public service broadcasting, while saying that broadcasters will need to adapt and that legislation and regulation will need to evolve.
- On the listed events regime, the Government "does not plan to review the list", saying it "strikes an appropriate balance". It has announced the Paralympic Games will be added to group A and will set out next steps on women's equivalents "in due course".
- On BBC funding, it "has no plans to introduce a Licence Fee Commission" and considers it "appropriate to determine the level of the licence fee in discussions with the BBC".
- On prominence, the Government "has committed to act on Ofcom's prominence recommendations and is exploring the potential for legislation", and will set out next steps "in due course".
- On a levy on video on-demand subscriptions, the Government agrees one "is not appropriate at this time" and has no plans to introduce one, but "will keep the situation under review".