ABSTRACT
These are the words of New Labour culture secretary Tessa Jo well when unveiling the government’s draft communications bill in May 2002. The legislation that follows from this will determine the environment in which British television operates for the foreseeable future. It is a future where any remaining commitment to diversity and pluralism is to be facilitated by structures that privilege principles of efficiency, competition and market value. It is a conception of media policy that is likely to transform British broadcasting into an overwhelmingly commercial proposition in the next few years. Since it was first elected in May 1997, the New Labour government has embraced the possibilities of digital and broadband technologies for use by business, education, government and consumers; it is determined to modernize the UK’s regulatory framework to adapt to and facilitate the convergence of broadcasting, IT and telecommunications. This activity appears to stand in stark contrast to both the Labour Party’s former opposition to a commercial television system and its indifference or hostility towards innovations in the field of electronic media. With the exception of the Open University, the party has not been directly associated with any of the major developments in communications-the launch of ITV, BBC2 and Channels 4 and 5, the development of commercial radio and the go-ahead for cable, satellite and digital systems-all of which have occurred under Conservative administrations.
