495.This section permits the holder of the licence to provide the public teletext service to apply to OFCOM for the renewal of his licence for the next licensing period.
*Subsection (12) provides that a licensing period is the period beginning with the commencement of this section and ending with the initial expiry date (see section 224); or any subsequent period of 10 years beginning with the end of the previous licensing period.
496.An application for renewal may only be made in the period beginning four years before the end of the current licensing period and ending three months before the day that OFCOM determine they would have to publish a tender notice if they were proposing to grant a fresh licence to take effect from the end of the current licensing period. Any determination of that date must be made at least one year before the date on which the tender notice would have to be published and must be notified to the person who is holding the public teletext licence at the time that the determination is made.
497.Unless the Secretary of State makes an order suspending the rights of renewal under section 230, where OFCOM receive an application for the renewal of a licence they must determine whether or not they will renew the licence and, if they do intend to renew the licence, the financial terms on which they intend to do so. They must also notify the applicant accordingly. Subsections (6) and (7) provide that OFCOM may determine that they will not renew a licence if:
they are not satisfied that the applicant (if his licence were renewed) would provide a service complying with the requirements imposed under Chapter 4 of Part 3 of the Act relating to the public service remit for the public teletext service, news programmes and regional matters; or
they propose to grant a fresh licence for a service replacing the licensed service which would differ from the licensed service in any material respect.
498.OFCOM must not grant a renewal under this section more than 18 months before the end of the current licensing period.
499.Where OFCOM determine that a licence should be renewed, they must renew it on the same terms and conditions, subject only to such modifications as are required to give effect to the requirements imposed under paragraph 7 of Schedule 10 (payments to be made to OFCOM by the licence-holder).