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Digital Economy Bill [HL]

I have some difficulty with this, particularly in relation to the BBC and the licence fee, because if I pay a licence fee, at the end of the day I am paying the BBC to make programmes, not to view just on the one occasion that they are broadcast, but at any time in the future—as is the case now. That may not have always been the case—you had to watch a BBC programme once only. I know that the Government’s argument against the proposal in the amendment is that, while this is done abroad, there is no licence fee there. The public are already paying a large amount towards the production of programmes which they should be entitled to watch for as long as that programme is available to them. That will now be done not just through Virgin or Sky, but on the internet or BBCi. As regards one part of the amendment, ITV already allows a month in which to watch programmes on the internet, whereas the BBC allows only a week—longer if the programmes are part of a series. I do not know how exactly the noble Lord’s proposals will work in terms of each customer. Does it apply to individual customers, as stated in Amendment 288, or will the transmitting company pay?