UK government reworks plans for new Communications Bill

UK authorities have scrapped plans for a green paper report into the UK media sector and now plan to hold a series of seminars that will shape changes to the country’s new Communications Bill. Under previous plans a tentative report, or green paper, was to have been published.

This plan has now been shelved in favour of five seminars covering: investment in TV content; competition in the content market; the consumer perspective; maximising the use of spectrum; and supporting the radio sector.

The changes will feed into a white paper, an official, authoritative report, which will be published early next year. The new Communications Bill will then be introduced before the end of the current parliament in 2015.

“We have the largest independent television production sector in the world while the UK is the second largest music exporter in the world,” said UK communications minister Ed Vaizey. “Through these seminars, we will look in detail at how best to drive investment and competition. We want to shape the Communications Bill so that we have the right framework to secure our place as Europe’s tech hub.”