He will question the “sense of almost perpetual government review over the ” and is expected to add: “No other country has anything like this. Public service broadcasters lie at the heart of our social and cultural life, and they are worth fighting for. And, to be frank, the fight is on.”
Dr Shah will float the idea of a permanent charter, which would bring the in line with other institutions such as the British Council, the Bank of England and UK Sport.
The current system means the ‘s royal charter is renewed every 10 years.
The current charter runs out in 2027, and the government published the conclusions of a mid-term review in January.
The charter sets out the purposes of the and outlines its governance and regulatory arrangements, including the role of the board.
Discussions with the government ahead of the next charter renewal will be approached “constructively and with an open mind”, he will say, and “reforming the licence fee, replacing it, or coming up with a whole new mechanism” all remain on the table.
The chair will also say he doesn’t support subscription and advertising as possible future funding models because neither “pass the test” for a universal, public service as they shift the priority from serving audiences to profiting from them.
ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and S4C are also classed as public service broadcasters.
