Broadcasting Act 1990

49 Licensing of additional services

(1) Subject to subsection (2), the Commission shall do all that they can to secure that, in the case of each of the following frequencies, namely—

(a) any frequencies falling within section 48(1)(a) on which television broadcasting services are provided, and

(b) any frequencies notified to the Commission under section 48(1)(b),

all of the spare capacity available for the provision of additional services on that frequency is used for the provision of such services under additional services licences granted by the Commission in accordance with this section.

(2) The Commission shall do all that they can to secure, in relation to the combined spare capacity available for the provision of additional services on frequencies on which Channel 3 services and Channel 4 are respectively provided, that a single teletext service is provided on that spare capacity; but any such service shall be provided only on so much of that spare capacity as the Secretary of State may approve.

(3) In relation to so much of any such service as is provided for reception wholly or mainly in Wales, references in subsection (2) to any such combined spare capacity as is there mentioned shall be construed as references to the spare capacity available for the provision of additional services on frequencies on which S4C is provided; and the Secretary of State shall exercise his powers under section 48(1)(b) and (2)(b) in such manner as he considers appropriate to take account of this subsection.

(4) An additional services licence may relate to the use of spare capacity within more than one frequency; and two or more additional services licences may relate to the use of spare capacity within the same frequency where it is to be used at different times, or in different areas, in the case of each of those licences.

(5) An additional services licence may include provisions enabling the licence holder, subject to and in accordance with such conditions as the Commission may impose, to authorise any person to whom this subsection applies to provide any additional service on the spare capacity allocated by the licence.

(6) Subsection (5) applies to any person who is not a disqualified person in relation to an additional services licence by virtue of Part II of Schedule 2 to this Act.

(7) Any conditions included in an additional services licence shall apply in relation to the provision of additional services by a person authorised as mentioned in subsection (5) as they apply in relation to the provision of such services by the licence holder; and any failure by such a person to comply with any such conditions shall be treated for the purposes of this Part as a failure on the part of the licence holder to comply with those conditions.

(8) Every licence under this Part to provide a television broadcasting service shall include such conditions as appear to the Commission to be appropriate for securing that the licence holder grants—

(a) to any person who holds a licence to provide additional services on the frequency on which that broadcasting service is provided, and

(b) to any person who is authorised by any such person as mentioned in subsection (5) to provide additional services on that frequency,

access to facilities reasonably required by that person for the purposes of, or in connection with, the provision of any such additional services.

(9) Any person who grants to any other person access to facilities in accordance with conditions imposed under subsection (8) may require that other person to pay a reasonable charge in respect thereof; and any dispute as to the amount of any such charge shall be determined by the Commission.

(10) In this Part “additional services licence” means a licence to provide additional services.