The Secretary of State for Culture and the Media in the UK written on June 18, 2012 to the Ofcom (British Office of Communication), in response to its report on pluralism.

For reading the letter, click here.

© thejournalofregulation

The "Office fédéral de la communication" - Ofcom ( Federal Office of Communication), the UK telecommunications regulator, which also has jurisdiction over the media, published on June 6, 2012, a report on media pluralism.

Similarly in France, we see sparing the adversary to controversies over jurisdiction between the regulator of media contents the " Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel"- CSA (French Audiovisual Council) and the regulator of the containers " Autorité de Régulation des Communications Électroniques et des Postes "-ARCEP (the French Electronic Communications and Postal Regulation Authority) in the UK, the Government has reacted to recall its prerogatives in this area.

In terms of regulation, kingdom of soft Law and the informal sector that bears, "the kind letter" may be a modality of confrontation. Thus, the Secretary of State for Culture and Media, Jeremy Hunt, has written to the Chair of the "Office fédéral de la communication" - Ofcom ( Federal Office of Communication), starting with the letter: Dear Colette.

He told her how the report of June 6 will be useful to himself and the House of Lords in their studies on the same subject. Thus, he immediately puts it back to the governor what he perceives as its place: an expert in politics, this and no more.Then, on the most exquisite tone, he asks her to reconsider a very large number of fundamental points.

Essentially, the report suggests that pluralism in the media are reviewed every four or five years, the precise rhythm to be determined by Parliament. But the Secretary of State would be very grateful if the regulator was kind enough to clarify the extent and timing of such a revision, as the industry badly needs security for investments in the audiovisual market and produce innovation. This includes that predictability be given when the possibility of doing or not doing concentrations.

The Ministry is concerned about the contribution of guidelines these periodic reports will generate when the degree of desirable levels of media on the market, because the companies do not know their level of stress and reliability to adjust their own decisions for the future. Taking not only the theme of insecurity for companies in the sector, and the consequences in in terms of investment, the Secretary of State pointed out that the regulator recommended to entrust the Parliament the task to fix thresholds of detention, in televisions or national newspapers in Parliament.

It is an entirely different question: the one of the distribution of powers, and the Government will not be left aside. The Secretary of State recalled that there are numerous debates on its own role in this matter... and he wondered about the role and power that would have the body which would lead this regular study on pluralism in the media. Therefore, after this letter is a masterpiece of rhetoric, he offers ... a seminar in early October 2012, and because he and the House of Lords have been very fortunate to benefit from the answers given notice of the regulator.