Ofcom Discussion

(12-06-2011 03:38 )Digital Dave Wrote:  Following up my previous post, there is one example of a channel escaping the letter of Ofcom's rules by relocating their uplink to another country and getting a new licence there. That is Revelation TV, a fundamentalist Christian channel.

Up until 2010 they had come under Ofcom’s glare due to fund raising activities that broke the rules (i.e. asking for money on air) and regularly lambasting abortion and homosexuality. Ofcom found them in breach numerous times.

In early 2010 they secured a Spanish licence and in April 2010 they handed back their Ofcom licence. Since then they haven’t been hassled by Ofcom, even though they still broadcast the same crap from the same London studios (via Spain) and they remain on the Sky epg.

So a foreign licence can help to a certain extent in getting Ofcom off your back, but I’m sure if Revelation cranked up the anti-gay hate there would still be local UK laws that Ofcom could bring to bear to get them removed from the Sky epg. Similarly, if Cellcast started broadcasting pussy shots on FTA I'm pretty sure Ofcom would find a way to remove them swiftly from the epg.

At least there was a point to Revelation getting a foreign licence. There seems to be no point in Cellcast’s case (edit: although I take Chilly's point above).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revelation_TV (see sections 3 and 4)

Good post, Dave. Not much the legals can do other than issue redundant 90s proscription orders.