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The new BBC Royal Charter and Agreement (see IRIS 2006-5: 13), which came into effect on 1 January 2007, requires that new and modified BBC services should be subject to a Public Value Test to establish whether they will be in the public interest. As part of this process the communications regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) undertakes a Market Impact Assessment to assess the likely impact of the services on the markets in which the new services will be provided and in related markets, examining the extent to which they might deter innovation and investment by alternative providers...

On 6 February 2007, the Verwaltungsgericht Hannover (Hanover Administrative Court - VG) rejected two appeals by broadcaster RTL against decisions of the Kommission für Jugendmedienschutz (Commission for the Protection of Youth in the Media - KJM) (case nos. 7 A 5469/06 and 7 A 5470/06). In decisions reached in July and October 2005, the Niedersächsische Landesmedienanstalt (Lower Saxony Land Media Authority - NLM) had ruled that various TV programmes broadcast by RTL in 2004 had been unlawful. These decisions had been based on rulings of the KJM, a body jointly set up by the German Landesmedienanstalten...

The European Commission has presented to the Council and the European Parliament its final evaluation of the implementation of the multiannual Community Action Plan on promoting safer use of the Internet by combating illegal and harmful content on global networks (SIAP) for the period 2003-2004. The report presented conclusions with respect to the effectiveness, efficiency, sustainability, utility and impact of the programme, and it formulated recommendations. The SIAP was designed to promote safer use of the Internet and to encourage at European level an environment favourable to the development...

On 5 December 2006, the Parliament ( Seimas ) of Lithuania adopted amendments to the Act on the Protection of Minors against the Detrimental Effect of Public Information. In essence only Article 4 and Article 5 of the law were amended with the aim of providing a specific definition of harmful information and reinforcing the protection of minors against the detrimental effect of public information. Previously, Article 4 of the law foresaw an exhaustive list of criteria according to which an public information was evaluated as causing detrimental effects to the physical, mental or moral development...

The Communications Regulatory Agency (RAK) of Bosnia and Herzegovina, responsible for the broadcasting and telecommunications sector, has adopted changes and amendments to the Advertising and Sponsorship Code for Radio and Television, in accordance with Article 39, Section 1, of the BiH Law on Communications (BiH Official Gazette, No. 31/03). Compared with the previous one the new Code includes some significant changes related to the advertising of certain products and services, as well as to the protection of minors. The Code strictly forbids advertising and tele-shopping featuring tobacco products,...