ABSTRACT
T errestrial broadcast television has always been regulated via Acts ofParliament. The first media related Act was the Wireless TelegraphyAct in 1904. Commercial broadcasting was started by an Act of Parliament in 1954. The BBC had a different genesis and was set up by Royal Charter in 1927. In the UK, successive governments have avoided a cut-throat and unfettered commercial market, such as that found in the US, by setting up broadcasting regulatory bodies to oversee all areas of broadcasting, including cable and satellite. These bodies maintain technical and programme standards. They ensure that broadcasters provide a mix of programmes for a variety of audiences. They ensure that programmes do not offend against what is generally considered to be good taste or decency. They require that programmes are fair, and do not incite crime or racial hatred. News should be accurate and impartial. They provide a code on the content of advertisements and regulate when and how often they can be shown. Until recently there were five different regulatory bodies covering the commercial broadcasting of radio and television, with wide ranging powers. In 2003, the Labour Government under Tony Blair passed a new Communications Act that included the setting up of a new communications regulator for the digital age, called the Office of Communications, or Ofcom. The reason for its introduction was convergence in the media and telecoms industry, and the rise of cross-media companies such as AOL Time Warner and News International.
