§ Mr. HardyTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the capacity of the Independent Broadcasting Authority to provide adequate supervision and influence in the situation which has developed in regard to the future of British Satellite Broadcasting and of the D-MAC television technology.
§ Mr. Peter LloydThe Independent Broadcasting Authority has the powers conferred on it by Parliament in294W broadcasting legislation. Having considered the merger between British Satellite Broadcasting and Sky Television plc, it has announced its decision to terminate the contract it held with British Satellite Broadcasting. The new company, British Sky Broadcasting, will require a non-domestic satellite service licence under the Broadcasting Act 1990, and the Independent Television Commission has full powers to draw up and award such a licence and enforce its conditions.
The Government do not seek to impose new technology where it is not commercially viable. EC directive 86/529 requires all DBS services to be broadcast using the MAC transmission standard. The directive thus governed British Satellite Broadcasting but not Sky transmissions, and will apply to any future user of the DBS channels. It will be reviewed in 1991 and the Government are considering their attitude to a replacement directive in the light of recent events.