Birt Warns Of Monopoly Control Of Satellite Operators

Yesterday at a news conference ahead of a G7 conference in Brussels, the Director General of the BBC, John Birt expressed his concerns over the European Commission’s introduction of quotas for non European television programmes.

He told MEP’s that a technical directive passed by the EU’s telecommunications ministers in November could allow a few powerful companies to determine which programmes and services reached peoples homes.

Birt added, ‘We agree on the need to protect individual cultures, but we doubt that quotas are the way to do this.’

Mr Birt also critisised the directive on future television standards stating that he was not happy with the failure to introduce sufficient safeguards to prevent the proliferation of technologies.

France is in favour of quotas; Britain and Germany are firmly opposed.