Communications Bill set to increase BBC accountability

The Secretary for Culture, Media and Sport Tessa Jowell has outlined details of plans to bring the BBC in line with other public service broadcasters.
The changes proposed to the BBC Agreement to allow OFCOM to regulate the BBC include:

• placing the BBC under an obligation to comply with specific programme standards codes issued by OFCOM
• placing the BBC under the same obligations to other public service broadcasters on matters such as independent and original productions, regional productions and programming and news in peak time
• committing the BBC to publishing annual statements of programme policy and to considering OFCOM's overview reports on public service broadcasting
• committing the BBC to complying with requirements to broadcast apologies and corrections.

The Office of Communications (OFCOM) is designed to be a single unified body where five separate regulators currently exist. It is anticipated that red tape and the frictional cost of regulation will be reduced, allowing companies to grow and invest more freely, to increase productivity and to supply new and better services to consumers. It is hoped that the quality of regulation itself will improve with a single coherent approach replacing the current risk of double jeopardy from multiple regulators.
The existing core responsibilities of the BBC Governors which include upholding and protecting the BBC's political and editorial independence and calling management to account will be retained, but the BBC will be subject to new external requirements monitored and enforced by OFCOM.
According to the Bill: "The BBC's position will be brought closer to that of other broadcasters, but the backstop powers for the BBC will, however, remain with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and with Parliament through Charter renewal (which is) due in 2006."
Currently, the BBC Governors are responsible for ensuring that the BBC meets all its statutory and other obligations within the overall framework of the Charter and the Agreement with the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
The BBC's relationship with OFCOM will therefore be established principally by way of amendments to the Agreement, rather than in the legislation itself. The draft Bill includes a general provision for OFCOM to undertake the regulation of the BBC in accordance with the terms of the Agreement. However, with certain exceptions, regulatory obligations applying to the BBC will derive from the Agreement.
The draft Communications Bill can be viewed at, www.communicationsbill.gov.uk
(GMcG)