UK Gov wins EU web video regulation battle
November 15th, 2006 by Lloyd Gofton
Imagine a time when the Internet is regulated by the Government. This is exactly what the EU recommended under a clause in the updated European media regulation directive - TV Without Frontiers (TVWF), now renamed as the Audio-Visual Services Directive.
According to ZDNet UK we have Ofcom to thank for saving us from what could have seen the web wrapped in stifling red tape.
Culture secretary, Tessa Jowell, supported Ofcom, arguing that the plan was unworkable and would reduce creativity and investment in new media across Europe.
In the piece, an Ofcom spokesperson said:”The original proposals were flawed — they suggested regulations for all visual media services. Effectively we were being asked to regulate everything from Channel 4 right down to video blogs. There was a distinct lack of clarity in the proposals.”
Ofcom said it “pointed out this was not a good idea, and not achievable in practice. If we were expected to regulate websites, we would go from regulating a few hundred organisations to a regime where we would regulate hundreds of thousands of ordinary people”.
It’s far from over though. The new Audio-Visual Services Directive is yet to have its first reading or be ratified, so the final outcome is not settled.
The pressure is on, the EU must find an agreement to allow continued evolution of the web, whilst protecting against less desirable content.
The European Parliament will take a final vote in December, which will see the agreed directive adopted by the European Union in 2007.
