My Lords, we too welcome the order, which secures the future of popular radio stations including Absolute Radio, Classic FM and Times Radio, and will ensure that, as a product of
the renewal of the UK national digital radio multiplex licences, we have stability and certainty for the next decade, as the Minister said.
As I understand matters, the Government are giving Ofcom the power to renew the two commercial radio multiplex licences, Digital One Ltd and Sound Digital Ltd, which, as the Minister explained, are due to expire in 2023 and 2028 respectively. This move will mean that audiences across the UK can enjoy uninterrupted access to the huge range of radio content available from the country’s national commercial broadcasters through their digital devices on a free-to-air basis. Well-known stations on the Digital One Ltd multiplex include Absolute Radio, Capital and Smooth. Listeners can find the likes of Jazz FM and talkRADIO on the Sound Digital Ltd multiplex. That is all to the good.
As I understand it, the first of the two licences is due to expire in November next year. Rather than going continually through the bidding process every five years, the Government seem to have decided to spare both sides the time and cost of doing so. That too is welcome.
As has been said, the Commons BEIS Committee has published its report on the order. This confirms that it meets all the relevant tests that would be expected. We welcome the fact that those have been properly gone through, and we consider the policy to be proportionate. It has been subject to appropriate consultation, and that too is to be welcomed.
We support the change and recognise the enduring value of radio in general terms. Who does not love “The Archers”, “Desert Island Discs”, Jazz FM, BBC 6 Music—I could go on? All these bring great pleasure to us.
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As the Minister usually talks about broadcast media, I wondered—rather like the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones—whether the Minister would not mind giving us a wider update. As the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, noted, in the Oral Question on 14 March several noble Lords highlighted the fact that we await the Government’s response to both the Digital Radio and Audio Review, which reported as far back as October last year, and a broader review into public service broadcasting. Could we have a progress report on that? Can the Minister offer more than the usual comments about it being “in due course”, because I think that we need to be kept up to date on this. Will these reviews end up as a feature in part of the upcoming media Bill? When can we expect that Bill? Like the noble Lord, Lord Clement-Jones, I too am interested in the prominence issue, the online gatekeeper role, the risks to plurality that confront us, and the timetable for the broadcasting White Paper. Clearly, this is an important moment in the history of broadcast, and we need to have a plan for its ever-broadening and ever-widening future.
There is a lot to view and to contemplate, and I hope that we can soon get some meaningful legislation so that we do not have to go through processes for orders such as this in the future and so that we can have a more streamlined approach to covering changes and advances in media technology. However, overall we very much welcome the order.