SpectrumTalk

Ofcom Takes on Susan Boyle Issue

The UK press has reported that the FCC's UK counterpart, Ofcom,

"has launched an investigation to determine whether ITV, the network that produces and airs Britain’s Got Talent, violated the broadcasting code when Susan Boyle was allowed on the finale despite showing clear signs she was heading for a mental breakdown. Reports in the British media indicate that viewers had complained to ITV prior to Saturday when the finale took place, which would mean the producers deliberately chose to ignore all concerns for the sake of the 19 million audience recorded."

Whether this is a good idea or not is not something I am expert in. Readers may recall that I am an admirer of Ofcom's spectrum policy in general. I boldly predict that spectrum policy development at Ofcom will continue at its normal pace and will not be affected by the distraction of the Boyle issue.

The key thing to note here is that Ofcom is able to "rub its stomach and pat its head" at the same time because top management knows how to delegate to its top managers in the several product lines such as broadcast content, spectrum management, broadband policy, etc.

By contrast FCC in recent history can only focus on one issue at a time and the other issues lie fallow while the issue du jour gets all the attention.

I hope the new FCC leadership team learns something from how Ofcom can do multiple things at the same time and clean up the present spectrum policy backlog after June 12.