Communications Bill Debated Online

Over 200 people have registered to take part in the first ever online discussion about draft legislation, debating the forthcoming Communications Bill. An online forum was opened on 10 June to run for four weeks, with contributions being summarised on a weekly basis and reported to the Parliament’s Joint Committee on the draft Bill, which commissioned the exercise.

Lord Puttnam, chairman of the Joint Committee, said: “We’re delighted with the quality of debate on the online forum. As is becoming more and more apparent, it’s very important to listen beyond Westminster and the ‘usual suspects’ – after all, the Communications Bill will affect every one of us.”

Topics of debate so far have ranged from media ownership and the importance of community broadcasting to internet content and children’s television.

The Joint Commitee is to hold four further public hearings, on 24 and 27 June and 4 and 8 July.

Houses of Parliament: www.parliament.uk

Recent Related Stories from NewsLine Regionality Safe Under Communications Bill Says Jowell Jowell Says Licence Fee Will Stay Newspaper Society Criticises Draft Communications Bill

Subscribers can access ten years of NewsLine articles by clicking the Search button to the left