I’m happy to split the difference on the proposal of a PVR tax!

On the question of hypothecated tax, we’re talking a tiny levy on massive industry. As I said, you probably won’t pay it in any noticeable sense – after all, countries that have such levies often actually supply the product for less than it is supplied for in the UK.

There’s a ‘tragedy of the commons’ argument here.

The scale of comms universe is >£60bn (TV, broadband, telephony, hardware, subscriptions, licence fees, ads etc). Those huge revenues are driven by a public who are prepared to access content.

All of the companies that make money in this market all think it’s a good idea to *make* content, but they all hope that someone else will do it (and they’re all massively inefficient in comparison to the BBC, C4 and ITV). Making content would be to subsidise all of thier competitors because of the demand for net neutrality.

The funding gap is relatively tiny – a few £100m

Commercial companies are not only inefficient, they’re not trusted either – and this adds to their inefficiency. FOr this reason, PSBs are a really cheap way to drive all of those markets.

I’m working with 4iP on a project as it happens and I agree that there is a need to develop newer better models of delivering – especially for local content. But I do worry that good quality content is the lifeblood of democracy, and we are bending over backwards to prove it can be made for almost nothing when – in fact – it could be properly funded without anyone really noticing.

Apart from commercial media monopolies that is…. <<< big political hole in my argument

I remain to be convinced that a hypothecated tax of this sort is desirable when there is such an indirect cause and affect. It’s not as simply as PVRs cause local journalism crisis. And I’m not sure I actually paid a penny for either my Sky+ or Virgin+ box.

I think the solution lies not in shoring up struggling broadcasters, such as ITN, but investing in lots of different innovators – like 4IP on a grander scale. The platform doesn’t require the investment, its the original content.

The problem I find about local blogging is that is that I find it difficult to broadcast it to people who actually live within my area, with most of my hits coming from London – Not so useful at all. For creating discussion perhaps like we have here but not determining any decisions in a local area.

I find the local resident meetings I’ve attended interesting enough, and cover a lot of issues that other people may find irritating after a time and do a good job, although as I pointed out it often gets dominated with people with a certain outlook. (Those damn oldies).