皇冠体育app

Government has set out the topics for debate as part of the process to review the BBC鈥檚 Royal Charter to make sure it remains a valued public broadcaster.

皇冠体育app BBC is governed by a Royal Charter, with the current Charter due to expire at the end of 2016. 皇冠体育app Government鈥檚 consultation paper - a 鈥楪reen Paper鈥� - is the first stage of the process in setting a new Charter.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, John Whittingdale MP, said:

皇冠体育app BBC is at the very heart of Britain. It is one of this nation鈥檚 most treasured institutions - playing a role in almost all of our lives. Ten years ago, the last time the Government ran a Charter Review, the media landscape looked very different. 皇冠体育app BBC has adapted to this changing landscape, and remains much-loved by audiences, a valuable engine of growth and an international benchmark for television, radio, online and journalism.

However we need to ask some hard questions during this Charter Review. Questions about what the BBC should be trying to achieve in an age where consumer choice is now far more extensive than it has been, what its scale and scope should be in the light of those aims, how far it affects others in television, radio and online, and what the right structures are for its governance and regulation.

皇冠体育app consultation sets out four broad issues for public discussion:

BBC鈥檚 mission, purpose and values

皇冠体育app BBC currently has six public purposes that were set out at the last Charter Review in 2006:

• Sustaining citizenship and civil society
• Promoting education and learning
• Stimulating creativity and cultural excellence
• Representing the UK, its nations, regions and communities
• Bringing the UK to the world and the world to the UK
• Delivering to the public the benefit of emerging communications technologies and services.

All of the BBC鈥檚 activity should be working towards one or more of these. 皇冠体育app consultation paper looks at whether these purposes are still relevant, and in the context of recent challenges the organisation has faced, if there should be more direction set about how the BBC works by defining its values in the next Charter.

Scale and scope of the BBC鈥檚 services and operations

Twenty years ago the BBC had two television channels and five national radio stations. It is now the largest public service broadcaster in the world, with nine television channels, ten national radio stations, and a major online presence. 皇冠体育app consultation paper looks at whether this particular range of services best serves licence fee payers and the impact it has on the commercial sector given the current and future media environment.

皇冠体育app way in which the BBC is funded

皇冠体育app BBC is currently funded via the TV licence fee, which has proven to be a very resilient form of funding 鈥� bringing in 拢3.7 billion last year. However it is not without its challenges - for example it is regressive, set at a flat rate and is not adjusted for different household incomes. It is also true that more people - especially younger people - now access television exclusively online and without a licence. This is perfectly legal, as the existing legislation was drawn up when the iPlayer did not even exist. 皇冠体育app Government has already committed to dealing with this problem and the Charter Review will allow us to look at how to modernise the current system.

BBC鈥檚 governance and accountability

皇冠体育app BBC Trust 鈥� established by the current Charter - exists to represent licence fee payers and hold the BBC to account. At times the BBC has fallen well short of the standards that the public expect of it, such as the Digital Media Initiative, the failed 拢100m technology project which exposed governance issues at the BBC. 皇冠体育appre are three broad alternative options - to reform the Trust model, create a unitary board and a new standalone oversight body or move external regulation wholesale to Ofcom. 皇冠体育app Government is seeking views on these models and the wider issues of how the BBC鈥檚 transparency and accountability can be improved.

Culture Secretary John Whittingdale MP added:

皇冠体育app BBC is a national institution, paid for by the public. It will have spent more than 拢30 billion of public money over the current Charter period. Everyone must be able to have their say on how well they think that money is spent. This consultation gives them that opportunity. It also invites them to comment on how the BBC is governed.

This publication is an important first step in an open and thorough Charter Review. It sets out the issues and some of the options for change. I want it to stimulate a national debate over the coming months as we map out the future for our BBC.

皇冠体育app public consultation marks the start of the Charter Review process. Over the coming months, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport will be engaging with the public and industry to make sure that all views are given proper consideration.

To support the Charter Review, Culture Secretary John Whittingdale has announced the appointment of a group of experts from across a range of industries and backgrounds. Its remit will be to provide expertise, challenge and advice during the Charter Review process.

皇冠体育app BBC Trust will play a very important role in the Government鈥檚 plans to deliver a transparent, open and democratic Charter Review process.

皇冠体育app public and industry can access the consultation paper, including an online response form here. 皇冠体育app consultation will last for 12 weeks, from 16 July to 8 October 2015. 皇冠体育app Government will then bring forward proposals based on this consultation in the Spring 2016.

Notes to editors

Media enquiries 鈥� DCMS News and Communications team 鈥� 020 7211 2210 or out of hours on 07699 751153.

1. 皇冠体育app consultation paper on the BBC Charter Review can be found online.
2. 皇冠体育app public can feed in their views through an online consultation
3. A copy of the BBC Royal Charter laid before Parliament in October 2006 can be found
4. In the 2006 Charter, the government set out a high level set of public purposes for the BBC. Further details on the BBC鈥檚 public purposes can be found on the BBC .
5. Government has also today published the findings of an independent review looking at the current sanctions in place for failure to hold a TV licence. David Perry QC was asked by the previous government to look at options for changing the current enforcement measures, including the decriminalisation of TV licence evasion offences, and whether these options would represent an improvement to the existing system.
6. (MS Word Document, 19.8 KB) set out the scope of the review