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At the beginning of June the Broadcasting Standards Commission published a revised Code of Guidance on Taste and Decency. Production of a code on standards of taste and decency is a statutory requirement placed upon the Commission by Parliament under sections 107 and 108 of the Broadcasting Act 1996. The first code on standards was published by the former Broadcasting Standards Council in 1989. The Commission has now re-written its code on taste and decency because it believes some current warnings are not straightforward enough. The code points out that programmes can cause particular offence...

The UK Wireless Telegraphy Act 1998 came into effect on 18 June 1998. This is an enabling act which permits regulations to be made for the pricing of the radio spectrum. These may take two forms; either fees determined by the Secretary of State reflecting the value of the spectrum or prices determined by the marketplace through auction. The Act permits the first type of fee to be set on the basis of principles other than recovery of cost and this may be applied to existing licences; a substantial increase in fees payable by mobile telecommunications operators is envisaged. The auction procedure...

A new Group of senior officials - called the Standing Committee on Competition in Communications - has been set up, involving the Independent Television Commission, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) and the Office of Telecommunications. The new mechanism will meet regularly to discuss current issues "which cross the traditional boundaries between regulators in the field of communications." The general aim is to set up machinery to assist the industry; minimise the regulatory burden; and "ensure that important issues do not fall through gaps". Specific project plans regarding particular issues will...

The Independent Television Commission has published its annual reviews of the performance of the regional Channel 3 companies and national channels 4 and 5, covering 1997. In relation to Channel 3, it notes the 'cautious and predictable nature' of programmes and criticises the preoccupation in peak factual programmes with crime, the emergency services and the paranormal. It also criticises the limited coverage of international issues in current affairs programmes. The Commission however welcomes the increased amount of documentaries, arts and children's drama in response to concerns it had expressed...

A replacement for the September 1967 film co-production agreement was signed on 5 May, although it does not come into effect until after an exchange of notifications between the two countries. This will take place in around three to four months, after the necessary legislative processes have taken place. Currently, there are seven such agreements between the United Kingdom and Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Norway and New Zealand; the United Kingdom has also signed the Convention on Cinematographic Co-production. Amongst the principal differences from the earlier agreement are that (a) third...