Broadcasting Act 1990

Broadcasting Act 1990

Act of Parliament
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Long title	An Act to make new provision with respect to the provision and regulation of independent television and sound programme services and of other services provided on television or radio frequencies; to make provision with respect to the provision and regulation of local delivery services; to amend in other respects the law relating to broadcasting and the provision of television and sound programme services and to make provision with respect to the supply and use of information about programmes; to make provision with respect to the transfer of the property, rights and liabilities of the Independent Broadcasting Authority and the Cable Authority and the dissolution of those bodies; to make new provision relating to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission; to provide for the establishment and functions of a Broadcasting Standards Council; to amend the Wireless Telegraphy Acts 1949 to 1967 and the Marine, &c., Broadcasting (Offences) Act 1967; to revoke a class licence granted under the Telecommunications Act 1984 to run broadcast relay systems; and for connected purposes.
Citation	1990 c. 42
Dates
Royal assent	1 November 1990
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted
Text of the Broadcasting Act 1990 as in force today (including any amendments) within the United Kingdom, from legislation.gov.uk.

The Broadcasting Act 1990 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which aimed to liberalise and deregulate the British broadcasting industry by promoting competition; an example being ITV, in particular, which had earlier been described by Margaret Thatcher as "the last bastion of restrictive practices".^[1] The Act was initiated in part due to a 1989 European Council Directive (89/552),^[2] also known as the Television Without Frontiers directive, and came about after the findings from the Peacock Committee.

It led directly to the abolition of the Independent Broadcasting Authority and its replacement with the Independent Television Commission and Radio Authority (both themselves now replaced by Ofcom), which were given the task of regulating the broadcasting industry with weaker powers compared to the previous authority.^[3]