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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Dear Peter,</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I, and I suspect many others involved in lobbying
Ofcom local television for the last few years, cannot share your sense
of rosy optimism about the likelihood of the development of a national network
of community television channels commencing soon. As things stand,
exactly the opposite will happen. Ofcom have made it clear that they
favour the wholesale sell-off of spectrum to the highest bidder, despite the
widespread rejection of this idea in the last public consultation on the
DDR. Over the summer Ofcom held an seminar in London in which they made it
clear (as did the Times article) that they will come back with exactly the same,
previously rejected proposal in the next DDR public consultation.
Ofcom's argument is that one cannot interfere in a free market and that
technical innovation, which they equate with social innovation and social
worth, will necessarily emerge from giving over spectrum to the highest
bidder. Dave Rushton, Marilyn Hyndman, the CMA and others have amassed
plenty of information over the years about the importance of local television
which they have presented to various Ofcom forums, to no avail. I believe
that no representative from Ofcom has yet even visited Northern Visions in
Belfast to view the important work it does. You can present all the valid
arguments you want for a course of action, but if those in power are in the
unshakeable grip of an ideology that doesn't acknowledge the validity of any
arguments other than its own, you won't get anywhere. </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Nor should one expect the government or MPs to
support local television as things stand. On November 15th the
all-party House of Commons Culture Media and Sport Committee published its
report on Public Service Content. Item 117 on Page 40 of the Report
states:</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>"We note the enthusiasm of some witnesses for the
potential for local television and the view that the Government needs to take
action to support the provision of local content. However, whilst we do
see some value in local content, we are not convinced of the need to intervene
to support local television, particularly by giving away spectrum for
broadcasting on digital terrestrial television. If providers want to offer
local television services, we believe that more targeted delivery platforms,
such as broadband, are more appropriate."</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>If Ofcom and the Committee get their way the entire
digital spectrum will be sold off to the highest bidder and after that no one is
going to give away spectrum for local television services when they are paying
such a high price in the first place. Spectrum is regarded as a scare
commodity by Ofcom and the various industries that want to get their hands on
it, so it will be keenly bid for. Once it is sold off, the chances for non
commercial, socially or publicly oriented uses for such spectrum will be
gone for ever. The only chance for bringing about a change in this
thinking is massive public support for local television, or at the
very least rejection of Ofcom's proposal to auction off all spectrum
to the highest bidder. When you write <FONT face="Times New Roman"
size=3>"<FONT face=Arial size=2>The case for community media, properly put,
simply cannot be rejected",</FONT> <FONT face=Arial size=2>that may be so but
that doesn't mean it will be acted on or answered; it will simply be ignored and
sidestepped in the pursuit of market freedom, technical innovation and other
supposedly more worthy aims. To think that this matter will simply be
resolved by the rational arguments is a dangerous illusion. I would
urge you, other CMA members and anyone else you know who wants
local digital terrestrial television to lobby for it, not passively
expect it to happen because it is clearly the most socially responsible use of
spectrum and you have a touching faith that those in power will do the right
thing.</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><FONT
face=Arial size=2>Regards,</FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><FONT
face=Arial size=2></FONT></FONT></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2><FONT face="Times New Roman" size=3><FONT
face=Arial size=2>Chris Booth.
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