Ofcom Chief Labels BBC Licence ‘Regressive Tax’, Calls for Funding Review

In an interview with the Financial Times, Michael Grade, the head of Britain’s media regulator Ofcom, has urged the government to reevaluate BBC funding, branding the current licence fee as a “regressive tax.” In a wide-ranging interview with the Financial Times, Lord Grade emphasised the need for the BBC to enhance its governance and complaints mechanisms, raising questions about the BBC’s ability to compete for advertising revenue against commercial broadcasters during the next charter review. In response, the BBC said: “We look forward to a healthy public debate about how the BBC is best equipped to continue to deliver for audiences in the UK and around the world.”...