Momentum Building Against EU’s Online TV Regulation

Much to my delight, the consensus and opinion against EU’s attempt to regulate online brodcasting is building up and prominent people are speaking against the logic of the EU directive. Among other things, the new regulations are aimed at IPTV and online TV providers, attempting to get them to adhere to the same set of rules (on decency, accuracy, impartiality and more).

BBC director general Mark Thompson: He has come out against the proposal: “Our own research suggests that public expectations of BBC online content are very different from their expectation of what they see on BBC Television – they simply do not feel they need, or want, the same level of protection…Even if the technical means could be found to enforce intrusive content regulation, it is not obvious that the balance of civic benefits – freedom of expression and creativity versus protection from offence – would favour it except in the case of minors and the most extreme content.”

James Murdoch: The CEO of BSkyB has written an editorial in FT, and comes out against the proposed rules, though for certain different reasons: “I fully accept that big companies in any industry will come under scrutiny and have to show that they are competing fairly. But I hope that the old argument of equating bigness with a lack of plurality is consigned to the old world, together with the notion that the innocent virgin, Culture, needs to be protected from her defiler, Commerce.”

Study on The Proposals: Intellect and the Broadband Stakeholder Group (BSG) have today issued a joint plea to the EU Commission…The trade association for the UK hi-tech industry and the Government’s advisory group on broadband consider the proposed approach to policy regulation to be totally unworkable, and an attempt by the EU to regulate the internet via the backdoor. The full research paper is here (PDF file)…

Related: EU’s Attempt To Redefine Internet TV

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