Q & A : WHAT DID THE CARTER REPORT DELIVER?

A. Struggling regional newspaper owners like Johnston Press, Trinity Mirror and DMGT had been hoping for a relaxation of merger rules, which would have led to scores of cost-saving mergers across the industry. But the Office of Fair Trading says the rules should stay as they are

Q. WILL IT LEAD TO BROADBAND FOR ALL?
A. It’s unlikely. It proposes universal access to 2Mbps broadband, which is actually very slow but fast enough to watch television online, by 2012. It also wants to launch a fund for investment in a super-fast network. But critics say that the funding, including the controversial “telephone tax”, will not be enough.

Q. WHAT DOES IT SAY ABOUT THE BBC’S LICENCE FEE?
A. The report proposes “top-slicing”  – taking cash from the licence fee after digital switchover is complete – to fund the production of local news, which commercial broadcasters have said they can no longer afford. The report also suggests making this a permanent arrangement after 2013. The BBC vehemently opposes the idea.

Q. DOES IT ADDRESS CHANNEL 4’S FUNDING PROBLEMS?
A. No. The report says that talks over the future of state-owned Channel 4 are ongoing, although the government still favours a partnership with BBC Worldwide. 

Q. WHAT ABOUT INTERNET PIRACY AND THE MUSIC INDUSTRY
A. The report has made some progress on issues such as internet piracy but it has stopped short of recommending new legislation to cut illegal filesharers off from their broadband connections, something France did recently.