Lords kick off investigation into BBC
The House of Lords' Communications Committee starts its new inquiry into the BBC on Tuesday 7 July, when it will question leading industry experts.
These will be the first two evidence sessions in the Committee's inquiry, which is investigating the existing public purposes of the BBC. It will be considering the continued relevance of the purposes, and looking at whether there is a better way to set the level of funding whilst still protecting the BBC's independence.
At 3:30pm, the Committee will hear from Claire Enders, Chief Executive of Enders Analysis, and Steve Hewlett, Guardian columnist and presenter of the BBC Radio 4 Media Show. Following on, at 4:30pm, the Committee will question Professor Des Freedman, Professor of Media and Communication Studies at Goldsmiths College, University of London, and Dr. Damian Tambini, Senior Lecturer at the London School of Economics.
The witnesses will face questions from the Committee on a number of issues including:
the history of the BBC's public purposes: why they were designed and if they are widely understood;
- the relevance of the current purposes as they are, the benefits and drawbacks of the system, and any comparative international examples;
- how the BBC fits into the wider public service broadcasting ecosystem; and
- whether the current system for setting the licence fee impacts on the independence of the BBC, and what - if any - alternative mechanisms exist for setting the fee.
The evidence sessions will take place from 3.30pm, on Tuesday 7 July in Committee Room 2 of the House of Lords.
