NTL: Consider Convergence Tests For Bill
NTL has broadly welcomed the draft Communications Bill but has called on Parliament to consider what it terms the “Five Tests of Convergence” to ensure that the measures contained in the new legislation will be in step with the converging communications industries.
The five tests set out by the communications company are:
- Does the Bill support a truly convergent vision of tommorrow’s media landscape? NTL wants the achievement of “Broadband Britain” to be recognised as “essential to the achievement of all our goals”. It calls for the debate about digital TV and analogue switch off to become part of a larger debate, with the key public policy objective being to build “a nation of connected, broadband homes, not merely homes receiving television in digital format.”
- Will the Bill encourage and foster competition? NTL wants the government to accelerate the timetable for regulatory legislation.
- Will Ofcom have the power to bring about “internet speed” regulation? Pointing to the fact that “the converged communications industry is a fast moving sector with product development measured in months not years”, NTL calls for regulation which reflects that pace.
- Will Ofcom be fully converged? NTL has welcomed the creation of a single regulator but notes: “Ofcom must be truly converged- as opposed to five different organisations bolted together and working in separate silos.”
- Will the Bill be future-proof? With the variety of mediums, increasingly with multiple functions and interactive elements, NTL says that the Government must ensure that proposals will stand the test of time in a fast moving environment.
Stephen Carter, managing director and chief operating officer at NTL said: “Since the White Paper was published 16 months ago, many significant events have helped reshape the broadcasting and telecommunications sector. We call on Parliament to consider the “Five Test for Convergence when assessing the draft Communications Bill.”
NTL: 01252 402 000 www.ntl.co.uk
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