Advanced Television

Regulation

BBC privacy charter for web data

The BBC is creating a charter for the use of data on the web. The charter is due to be unveiled within a couple of months and will allow viewers to choose if they want the BBC to delete information the corporation has collected about them via websites such as the iPlayer. BBC director of […]

January 26, 2012

PSBs may get better EPG slots

The UK government’s forthcoming communications green paper (draft law) will suggest broadcasters who commit to showing more public service programmes such as news and children’s programmes could be rewarded with a higher slot on digital TV EPGs. Ed Vaizey, the broadcasting minister, said the regulatory implications of the scheme will be researched by the Department […]

January 25, 2012

EC’s Kroes: SOPA, PIPA pause ‘right thing’

Neelie Kroes, Vice-President of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, has supported the decision by US legislators to put a hold on the contentious SOPA and PIPA bills and seek a better anti-piracy solution. She also confirmed that the Commission would present a European ‘Cloud’ Strategy, as well as issuing a paper on […]

January 25, 2012By Colin Mann

Virgin’s Berkett attacks BBC Trust

Virgin Media’s chief executive Neil Berkett has called on the Government to rip up the rules on licensing film and television content and disband the BBC Trust. Berkett warned that content providers will fall behind the pace of change in the way people are watching films and television unless the forthcoming Communications Bill is used […]

January 23, 2012

EU’s Reding: Balance copyright, Internet freedom

EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding has called for governments to strike a balance between policing the Internet to protect copyright and upholding freedom of expression. “The protection of creators must never be used as pretext to intervene in the freedom of the Internet,” Reding told the DLD conference on innovation, digital media, science and culture […]

January 23, 2012By Colin Mann

PIPA and SOPA bills on hold

The sponsors of both the Stop Online Piracy Act and the Protect IP Act anti-piracy measures have halted progress on their respective bills through the US legislature. Lamar Smith, who sponsored SOPA, said that he had “heard from the critics and I take seriously their concerns regarding proposed legislation to address the problem of online […]

January 23, 2012By Colin Mann

Philippines to decide on digital TV standard

The Philippines government will decide on its digital terrestrial TV operating system by mid-2012, according to local reports. The choice, between Europe’s DVB, the USA’s ATSC or the Japanese ISDB standard, is needed in order to start the nation’s migration from analogue to digital broadcasting. Gamaliel A. Cordoba, head of the nation’s National Telecommunications Commission, […]

January 23, 2012By Chris Forrester

Ofcom revokes Press TV licence

Ofcom has revoked the licence held by Press TV Limited with immediate effect.  Through the course of 2011, Ofcom was engaged in a sanctions case with Press TV regarding an interview obtained under duress from the Newsweek and Channel 4 journalist  Maziar Bahari while in an Iranian prison which Ofcom had held to be a […]

January 20, 2012

Megaupload shut down for copyright infringement

The US Justice Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have shut down file sharing site Megupload.com. In one of the largest criminal copyright cases in US history, seven individuals responsible for operating Megaupload.com and their associated companies, Megaupload Limited and Vestor Limited, have been charged in the United States with engaging in a […]

January 20, 2012By Colin Mann

Eutelsat suspends Roj TV over terrorist links

Satellite provider Eutelsat has suspended a Kurdish TV station that was found guilty of breaching Denmark’s anti-terror laws. Roj TV is appealing a Copenhagen City Court ruling that said its programmes incite terrorism, and fined it and its parent company 2.6 million kroner ($445,000) each. In a statement, Eutelsat said “under these circumstances, Eutelsat has […]

January 20, 2012