Lord Dubs calls for BBC to adopt external regulation

Lord Dubs, Chairman of the UK Broadcasting Standards Commission, has called on the BBC to bring its commercial interests into line with the rest of the industry and come fully under external regulation.
The Labour peer said that the organisation's commercial concerns could limit its ability to fully act in the interests of the consumer. He urged the BBC to move into the jurisdiction of Ofcom, the proposed super-regulator for the communications industry.
"I do not think governors can have responsibility for running the BBC and the responsibility for protecting the consumer interest. It is just not a very logical stance," he said.
The UK currently has five communications regulators – the Broadcasting Standards Commission, the Independent Television Commission, Oftel, the Radio Communications Agency and the Radio Authority. Presently, there are plans for some 1200 employees involved in these agencies to be drawn together into Ofcom, with Lord Dubs tipped as a possible Chairman. Also competing for the post are Howard Davies, head of the Financial Services Authority, and former culture secretary Chris Smith.
A draft communications bill including further details on the establishment of Ofcom is expected to be published jointly by the British Department for Trade and Industry and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport at the end of April.
BBC, www.bbc.co.uk
(GMcG)