Media regulator Ofcom may not be ready to take on its new BBC watchdog role until at least next April, three months after the corporation’s new charter is due to begin.
Ofcom will take over large parts of the regulation of the corporation from the BBC Trust, which will be abolished under the terms laid out by the government’s white paper on the future of the corporation.
BBC Trust chair Rona Fairhead said earlier this month that the timetable for the transfer of powers was “very, very tight”.
“I think it’s looking very tight but they are working as hard as they possibly can, we are still aiming for that,” Fairhead told MPs on the House of Commons culture, media and sport select committee on 6 July.
Fairhead said the trust was still working through with Ofcom and the government how the transition would take place. If Ofcom is not ready to take over the new responsibilities by 1 January, sources said it would not delay the new charter, only one aspect of it.
“If hope if there is an extension it would be short because we are in a position of uncertainty and as an organisation you want certainty,” said Fairhead, who will be chair of the BBC’s new unitary board.
A report in the Financial Times said “several officials” had confirmed that Ofcom would not be ready by 1 January 2017.
The government’s white paper, published in May, acknowledged that the “fundamental changes to governance and regulation will require time for the bodies involved to implement”. However, it did not set out a timeline for the switch.
A spokesman for Ofcom said: “We’re currently discussing a transition timetable with the government, BBC and BBC Trust. As the government has recognised, these are fundamental changes that will require time to implement, given their complexity and the need for a smooth transition.”
A government spokesman said: “We are working through the issues with relevant parties and no decisions on timing and transition arrangement have been made yet. We will set out further details on transition in due course.”
