UPDATE: Click here for the report (84-page .pdf file)

At 11:30 am today (check here around that time), the House of Lords Select Committee chaired by Lord Fowler will release a report that is severely critical of the DCMS Green Paper on BBC charter review. We’re told that:

* The process is flawed. The Charter Review should be performed by statute (ie, vote in Parliament) not by royal charter. The current process is carried forth only by government and thus (valid) criticisms of the new BBC structure are simply being ignored.

* License fee settlements above the rate of inflation must be granted only in ‘exceptional’ cases.

* Ofcom should regulate the BBC.

* The ‘BBC Trust’ concept should be scrapped for a unitary board with a majority of non-executives.

My comments: Folks, this is where over-used adjectives like ‘independent’ and ‘converged’ start to either (i) take on real meaning or (ii) continue their status as nothing more than fanciful boasts in British media policy. Of course, Fowler is right: Ofcom should be the regulator of the BBC in the same manner that other broadcasters are regulated by Ofcom. With respect to the BBC Trust, I have not seen anyone who seriously supports it, or believes that it will accomplish the governance transformation claimed in the Green Paper. I can’t wait to read this report. It looks like a reality check for DCMS - I wonder if they will listen?

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