[Wylug-discuss] Yet another advocacy option: e-petitions

[Smylers]

Dave Fisher writes:

> P.S. Having read and considered more, it looks as if the BBC's
> subordination to its suppliers and competitors is basically a dictat
> from Ofcom ...

Indeed.  The BBC website used to include a fantasy football league, with
free entry (and no advertising, obviously), but its mere presence was
deemed to be damaging to competitors which wanted to run online fantasy
leagues and it was closed down.

If the BBC comes up with a proposal that would make its service so good
and so useful to the public that there would be no need for any rival
commercial service then it is unlikely to get past the regulators;
whereas if they throw in a spot of incompetence and provide only a
mediocre service then that'll be fine!

Also in the BBC's defence of thinking that it wants DRM, I believe it
BBC makes a fair chunk of money from selling programmes abroad.  If Dr
Who episodes, say, are freeling available for all Brits to download and
copy wherever they want, then it's likely that people in other countries
will get these passed on to them, thus reducing the price networks in
other countries are willing to pay for the series -- which, ultimately,
the BBC could argue would result in less money being available to make
programmes for Brits to watch.

(Note I'm not saying that I subscribe to this point of view, or that I
agree that DRM will prevent programmes from being pirated, merely that I
can see why the BBC could rationally think this.)

Smylers