Broadcasting Bill [H.L.] [Bill 88 1995/96]
Broadcasting Bill [H.L.] [Bill 88 1995/96] Research Paper 96/48 15 April 1996 This Paper, together with Research Paper 96/49 : Conditional Access and Digital Television, is intended to provide background to some aspects of the Broadcasting Bill (HL) 1995-96, Bill 88. Jane Fiddick William Lea Home Affairs Section Science and Environment Section House of Commons Library SUMMARY Introducing the Bill on second reading on 16 January 1996, Lord Inglewood, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Department of National Heritage, said "The Bill is very complicated, but reflects four key policy principles: first, to safeguard and encourage plurality and diversity; second, to maintain our unique tradition of public service broadcasting, including not only the public broadcasting corporations but also the independent sector; thirdly, to foster the competitiveness of the UK broadcasting industry, which leads the world in digital technology; and, finally, to maintain standards of impartiality, taste and decency. It has not been possible within the scope of this Paper to deal with more than a few of the main themes, outlining the factual background and setting the provisions of the Bill in the context of the debates in the House of Lords. Here there were lively debates on Welsh and Gaelic broadcasting and broadcasting for the disabled, which it has not been possible to cover. The Paper looks at the technology of digital television and the licensing of new channels, present plans and future possibilities for media ownership, the privatisation of the BBC's transmitter network, availability to all of "listed" sporting events, the Channel 4 funding formula and the amalgamation of the Broadcasting Standards Council and the Broadcasting Complaints Commission into a single body to deal with complaints involving questions of taste and decency and of unfair treatment and invasion of privacy.
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