French communications regulator ARCEP has said government needs to define the contours of new television market regulation.
In a position statement following a request by the prime minister for an investigation into regulation in the internet era, ARCEP said there were three options that should be considered.
Either to maintain the existing regulation over television content, but taking into account what ARCEP describes as the “upheavals brought by the internet”. The other options are to promote updated regulation of television content while strengthening its economic dimension or to adopt primarily economic regulation of television players.
Presently France divides its regulation between ARCEP, which handles the licensing of communications services, and the CSA that is largely responsible for broadcast licence holders.
Rather than merge the two bodies, ARCEP says under the first option a board should be created to that is common to both regulators.
Changes too under the second option where the areas covered by both regulators could be narrowed. It is only under the third option where the two regulators might be merged into one similar to the UK’s Ofcom.
