Ofcom's Second Review of PSB

Ofcom, the independent regulator and competition authority for the UK communications industries, has published the terms of reference for its Second Review of Public Service Broadcasting (PSB). It's not the most immediately thrilling document but the Review itself, due to be completed in early 2009, will be significant.

The specific objectives of this Review will be:
• To evaluate how effectively the public service broadcasters are delivering the purposes and characteristics of PSB, particularly in the light of changes in the way TV content is distributed and consumed;
• To assess the case for continued intervention in the delivery of TV content to secure public service purposes;
• To consider whether and how the growth of new ways of delivering content to consumers and citizens might create new opportunities for achieving the goals of public service broadcasting, as well as posing new challenges; and
• To assess future options for funding, delivering and regulating public service broadcasting, in light of these challenges and opportunities, and uncertainty about the sustainability of existing funding models.