As has been installed as thenew prime minister of the U.K., S&PGlobal Market Intelligence looks at a number of outstanding bills andlegislative measures across the media and communications landscape that will bedealt with by May and her new cabinet, which includes Karen Bradley asSecretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
Digital Economy Bill
Thedepartment for culture, media & sport's new Digital Economy Bill willenforce the legal right to fast 10Mbps broadband connection by 2020, among aswathe of measures designed to ensure Britain "remains at the forefront"of the global economy.
Retransmission
The new Digital Economy Bill also leaves the door wide openfor retransmissionfees in the U.K., reigniting a debateon whether U.K. pay TV operators Sky,'s and TV should have their retransprivileges curbed and be forced to pay public service broadcasters such as theBBC and Channel 4 for the distribution of their channels.
BBC license fee loopholeclosure
TheresaMay's government will also be tasked with carrying out long-proposed reforms ofthe BBC as outlined by John Whittingdale earlier this year. Some of the keychanges include closing the iPlayer "loophole" and making it arequirement for online viewers of BBC's on-demand programs to obtain a TVlicense and pay the so-called license fee. The license fee will be valid for atleast 11 years and will increase in line with inflation until 2021-2022. TheBBC will also explore suggestions to make content available through asubscription-only offering, which will not replace its current license fee.
Channel 4 privatization
TheBritish government confirmed a possible sale in November 2015, when Prime Minister David Cameronsaid he is looking at all possible options, including privatization, to securethe financial future of the public broadcaster. The announcement of theprivatization, potentially worth as much as £1 billion, fueled speculation overwho may go after the broadcaster. Potential bidders that have emerged includeSky, Disney, VirginMedia and Discovery,among others.
Snoopers' charter
Earlierthis year, the British House of Commons approved the controversial Investigatory Powers Bill,dubbed the "Snoopers' Charter." The legislation, which plans toincrease the remit of the British government's ability to privatecommunications and individual, was proposed by Theresa May, then home secretary.
PotentialBT-Openreach spinoff
Ofcom is set to deliver its verdict in the long-runningreview of how BT should improve performance at its Openreach division in orderto avoid being broken up. Ofcom Chief Executive Sharon White had previouslysaid maintaining Openreach's status as British Telecom's infrastructure arm wasunlikely to continue. Meanwhile a culture, media and sport select committee inparliament recently found the telecoms group not only "exploited itsposition" but is also "significantly under investing" inOpenreach. The committee is demanding Britain's biggest telecoms provider putits house in order or face a split.