A Consultation Document published jointly by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the DTI on 26 November 2001, sets out a number of proposals and options for reform of the media ownership rules. The Consultation Document continues the debate on media ownership launched in the White Paper on Communications (December 2000), and sets out some more developed options for change on which further consultation is invited. The Government is concerned that the existing media ownership rules are outdated, inconsistent and not flexible enough to respond to the rapid change which is currently taking place in media markets. New rules should provide a framework that industry and consumers can rely on, while being flexible enough to respond to the challenges of technological and market development.
