In an age of massive multi channel tv choice, why should I carry on paying my licence fee?
At less than the price of a first-class stamp, the BBC represents excellent daily value for money, offering a quality and range of programmes recognised by both its audiences and the broadcasting industry alike. In an era of increased competition in the broadcasting industry, the BBC may increasingly be seen and valued as the only organisation able to fulfil a full public service role – free from any proprietorial interest. An independent report ( published June 1997) called Broadcasting, Society and Policy in the Multimedia Age by economists Andrew Graham and Gavyn Davis, argued that a strong public service broadcaster remains essential to ensure that the benefits of the multimedia age are available to all. The report concludes that the new digital technology increases rather than decreases the need for public service television, and, if the BBC did not exist it ought to be created with the utmost urgency .
