Under section 333(1) of the Communications Act, commercial public service TV channels and national commercial radio services must include referendum, as well as party political/party election broadcasts.
Ofcom is expected to make rules for this purpose (there was no provision for referendums under the previous Broadcasting Act). Ofcom is seeking views on whether the attached draft rules follow the right approach to the allocation of referendum broadcasts. As explained below, no other changes of policy are proposed. The Government will shortly be consulting on wider issues covered in the Electoral Commission's Report and Recommendations on Party Political Broadcasting. Ofcom will then consider the outcomes of this process.
The draft rules require that the relevant broadcasters must allocate one or more broadcasts to each organisation designated by the Electoral Commission for each referendum. In the case of a referendum across the UK, the draft rules provide that the broadcasts must be carried by every broadcaster that is now required to carry party broadcasts at a general election. In the case of referendums in the nations and regions, it is proposed that these will be carried only in relevant ITV1 regions.
