ITC Call For Single Regulator

The ITC has presented a memorandum to the Select Committee for National Heritage calling for the creation of a single broadcasting regulator.

Sir Robert Biggam, chairman of the Commission, said: “There are a large number of bodies with responsibility for some aspect of broadcasting regulation. These include the BBC and the soon to be merged Broadcasting Standards Council and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission, as well as the ITC. So complicated a system is potentially costly and confusing, especially to the viewer who wants to make the right point to the right body. A single regulator would be best placed to deliver effective and regulation. The BBC in particular is operating in a changing environment. Its self-regulatory system will come under increasing strain as it becomes more involved in commercial ventures.”

The Commission does, however, recognise that any reform of the regulatory structure will need considerable research and debate. The memorandum is intended to spark off such a debate.

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