Ofcom: Lyons misunderstands our role
- Published: 16 October 2008 17:27
- Author: Robin Parker
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- Last Updated: 16 October 2008 17:28
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Ofcom has accused BBC Trust chairman Sir Michael Lyons of misunderstanding its role and its proposals for the future of public service broadcasting.
In a speech to the Broadcasting Press Guild yesterday, Lyons said Ofcom did not have the power to hand over any of BBC Worldwide's money to Channel 4, one of the possible funding options outlined in the second phase of the regulator's PSB review.
He spoke out against what he saw as the "brittle" language employed by Ofcom to an issue that he said would need extensive public debate and a change to the statute to implement.
Lyons said the industry should "stop looking to Ofcom for the answers, because more regulation is not what's needed". Insted, he urged broadcasters to find more ways of co-operating - hinting at the partnership proposals due to be unveiled by Mark Thompson in the coming weeks.
In a statement, Ofcom reminded Lyons that Ofcom has a specific remit to make recommendations on how to maintain and strengthen PSB.
It added: "The speech [...] at best displays a misunderstanding of what we have proposed in our review of public service broadcasting [...] The option to consider BBC Worldwide's role in the future of PSB remains firmly on the table along with the possibility of using the switchover surplus. These are entirely credible options in addressing the funding gap for PSB."
The regulator also defended its decision to look at using the surplus in the licence fee that has helped to fund digital switchover, calculated to be around £130m, to fund PSB after 2012.
"Top-slicing, as Sir Michael defines it, is not our focus. Instead, we have concentrated on the switchover surplus which does not endanger BBC core programmes in any way," Ofcom said. "And Sir Michael says that the way we presented the findings of our research into the public's views on how to use the switchover surplus was 'interesting'. We absolutely stand by the presentation and transparency of research findings."
