Decision over BBC licence fee must not be taken lightly - The Yorkshire Post says
And during his general election campaign Prime Minister Boris Johnson questioned whether public funding for the BBC, requiring people to pay a fee for the broadcaster’s production, remained justifiable, given the way that other media organisations manage to fund themselves.
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Hide AdNow Downing Street is considering replacing the TV licence fee with a subscription model, though Mr Johnson is reportedly favouring “reform over revolution”.
Whilst there are many things the BBC could improve on, scrapping the licence fee would undoubtedly have wide-reaching ramifications, not least in terms of the scale of the broadcaster’s output.
The managing director of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra says any resulting threat to the role of the BBC in the arts, as “a provider of culture”, would be a concern.
And TV presenter Dame Esther Rantzen, founder of The Silver Line charity which is designed to combat loneliness among older people, says privatising the BBC would isolate vulnerable people and harm those who feel lonely.
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Hide AdBoth raise valid points, and, like all reasons in favour of keeping – and of abolishing – the fee, these must be given the due and careful consideration they deserve.
The licence fee is a complex matter and given the potential consequences, any decision on its future should not be taken lightly.