GovWire

The UKs communications regulator, Ofcom, has a duty under section 3 of the Communications Act 2003 to secure and maintain a sufficient plurality of providers of different TV and radio services. It also has a duty under section 391 of the Act to review the operation of the media ownership rules listed in that section every three years.

In its most recent review of these rules, Ofcom set out three recommendations for government:

• retain the Cross-Media Ownership and Appointed News Provider rules relating to Channel 3
• remove restrictions on certain entities holding broadcasting licences
• broaden the scope of the existing Media Public Interest Test framework beyond print newspapers and broadcasters by applying existing public interest considerations in section 58 of the Enterprise Act 2002 to a broader range of news creators

This technical consultation will focus on the final recommendation and is seeking views on proposed government amendments to the EA 2002 that will implement these changes.