A view from the House of Lords and Lord Carter of the UK DCMS
Date: (25/02/2009)
"The Government are considering a spectrum of options for the future of public service broadcasting which fall within four broad categories that are not necessarily mutually exclusive."
To summarise, these are
1. Plurality through a public service content provider with Channel 4 with obligations in relation to the nations;
2. Existing providers and new entrants provide content through a competitive funding system ranging from the competitive funding model for current PSB providers or, indeed, as Ofcom raised in its recent review, through a new network model established as a competitive fund offering Scottish-wide television, local television, online provision and radio.
3.Allow the current PSB system to evolve naturally, without any government intervention, whereby the nations would continue to benefit from the existing obligations on the BBC, ITV and the channel 3 licence holders;
4. Create new channel or digital network for Scotland as also considered by Ofcom - there are pros and cons but "This option deserves considerably greater work."
He concluded:
"I am afraid I cannot answer tonight the questions of the noble Duke, the Duke of Montrose, specifically on how and what those funding and structural answers will be, as we are in active consultation on those questions,