Media watchdog bill published

Ofcom will incorporate five regulators into one

The government has published its plans to create a single watchdog to oversee the rapidly expanding telecommunications business.

The Office of Communications Bill spells the start of creating the Office of Communications (Ofcom), bringing together the five existing industry regulators.

The Bill is like a good recipe with the key ingredient missing

Anna Bradley, NCC

But there is already criticism that the BBC will not come under the same umbrella.

The paving bill, published jointly by the departments of Trade and Industry and Culture, Media and Sport, is necessary to get Ofcom off the ground but is not expected to be passed until 2003.

The establishment of Ofcom will make redundant the Independent Television Commission, the Office of Communications (Oftel), the Broadcasting Standards Commission, the Radio Authority and the Radiocommunications Agency.

The National Consumer Council (NCC) has attacked the proposals for not including the BBC.

Director Anna Bradley said: "The Bill is like a good recipe with the key ingredient missing. Regulation of the BBC should be transferred from its governors to the new regulator.

Greg Dyke: "Continued emphasis on public service broadcasting"

"More streamlined and coherent regulation is desirable. Ofcom makes sense for consumers and industry alike.

"But excluding the key public service broadcaster from its remit makes little sense."

The paving bill is expected to set up Ofcom on shadow lines, with a budget, a chairman and staff but without the power to take decisions.

'Super-regulator'

The communications bill, which will also establish new rules on cross-media ownership, has been delayed in order to allow further discussions to take place with the media and telecommunications industries.

Former Culture Secretary Chris Smith announced Ofcom in December 2000

In particular, the rules limiting one company to a maximum of 15% of the TV audience and preventing single ownership of the two London ITV licences are to be scrapped, paving the way, in theory, for a single ITV company.

However, it is unlikely that the Competition Commission would allow Carlton and Granada to merge.