Digital Britain

The BBC Trust's submission (September 2009)

On 25 September 2009, the BBC Trust published its submission to the Government's Digital Britain consultation on funding options for national, regional and local news. The submission is a response to the Government's proposal to provide top-up funding for news consortia through a contained, contestable element to be introduced to the next licence fee settlement in 2013 and on alternative sources of funding. It sets out some of the dangers of a contestable funding approach, and suggests two alternative approaches that could deliver news provision in the Nations and regions beyond the BBC.

Read the full response on the BBC Trust's website (September 2009)

The BBC Executive's response (March 2009)

The BBC Executive welcomes the Government's interim Digital Britain report. It is an ambitious and wide-ranging document covering the full spectrum of digital developments. The overarching objective of building Digital Britain is one that the BBC fully supports – indeed it is built into its own core purposes and public mission.

The BBC recognises that the Digital Britain interim report asks the BBC to play a leading role in a number of different contexts. The role of the BBC in driving new technology has a very long pedigree and has been acknowledged by successive Secretaries of State over many years – long before ‘building digital Britain' was a formal public purpose of the BBC.

In responding to this interim report, the BBC Executive would stress that engagement with Government, Ofcom and others is under way in all the topics outlined in the report. These discussions will continue through and beyond the submission of this response in order to inform the Government's final report later this year. The Executive's response therefore highlights the priority areas where it is focusing its attention and analysis and outlines some initial responses to the report's actions.

Read the full BBC Executive response (March 2009) - PDF (655KB)