The challenges for public policy of adjusting to a multi-platform environment

Abstract

The pace of change in the media business has steadily accelerated in the digital era and the sector is now evolving at a speed which may outstrip regulators’ efforts to keep up. Yet legislation which governs the sector appears to be changing less rapidly than was the case in the early 1990s, with many key European Union (EU) directives around 20 years old. The European Commission’s long internal discussion about whether to revise its copyright rules are a case in point. Possible reasons for this legislative caution include changes to the EU Treaty and more working-level reforms which add time and complexity to the task of policy-making. Regulators may be able to avoid acting in some areas where the existing framework provides adequate flexibility and in other cases the issues may no longer be relevant. But the digital era will continue to produce new issues and inactivity will not be an option for all dossiers. The Commission has experimented with shifting from directives to regulations, which would speed up the process of change, but has met resistance from Member States. A return to first principles and giving Member States more leeway to account for cultural and market differences may break the deadlock.

Keywords:

• multi-platform environment
• public policy
• digital era
• legislation

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ross Biggam

After studying at Exeter and Saarbrücken, Ross Biggam started work as deputy Legal Adviser to the House of Lords EU Select Committee before joining ITV, the leading commercial broadcaster in the UK, where he ended up as Head of European Affairs.

In April 2000, he moved to Brussels to become Director General of the Association of Commercial Television in Europe (ACT) which represents the business interests of the commercial television sector at the EU institutions. Its member companies are active in 37 European countries and encompass several business models, from free-to-air television broadcasters to multimedia groups and digital television platform operators. The ACT is regularly consulted by the EU institutions on all aspects of the media business, including content regulation, copyright and competition cases.

Ross is a visiting Professor in Creative and Cultural Industries at the University of Glasgow and is a regular speaker at industry, EU and academic conferences.