Institution-Driven Competition: The Regulation of Cross-Border Broadcasting in the EU

The regulation of media markets at the national level is under severe pressure, due to technological change, the existence of open markets, and international competition. The European Union's Television Without Frontiers (1989) Directive provided a framework which facilitated regulatory competition in the media field, particularly in satellite regulation. The paper will examine evidence of 'investment flight' towards lax regulatory jurisdictions resulting in an erosion of regulatory restrictions on broadcasting at national levels, particularly those relating to content, advertising and ownership. A political backlash, prompted by fears of 'race to the bottom' scenarios, has resulted in efforts at regulatory co-operation at national and European levels. Policy makers have looked towards the European Union level for measure to counteract 'unfair' regulatory competition and provide a European framework for media regulation.regulatory competition; regulation; media

Institution-driven competition: the regulation of cross-border broadcasting in the EU

© 2007 Cambridge University PressThis article examines the deregulation of cross-broader broadcasting to test its impact on strategies pursued by EU member states. It modifies our understanding of regulatory competition through an institutional explanation of the process. The European Union’s Television Without Frontiers (1989) Directive provided a framework for regulatory competition in television broadcast markets. Despite a high level of investment flight, member states did not automatically respond with deregulation but were compelled to do so by the European Court of Justice. Therefore national deregulation in this field was not a natural response to the preference of economic actors or an objective of state policy; it was driven by the European institutions.ESRC grant on Globalization, Regulatory Competition and Audiovisual Regulation in five countries

How Brexit might affect EU audio-visual media services policy-making

In this post, Alison Harcourt, Professor at the University of Exeter and Senior Fellow on the ESRC programme UK in a Changing Europe, reviews the current context and future of audio-visual media services legislation in the EU, and examines the impact that Brexit might have on UK stakeholders in this sector

Citizen journalism and news blogs: why media councils don’t care (yet)

How should systems that were originally set up to deal with complaints from members of the public about traditional media respond to the rise in bloggers and citizen journalists? Adeline Hulin, Project Consultant for UNESCO, reflects on the situation across Europe, and argues that existing self-regulatory media councils need to do more to incorporate new forms of journalism

How will Brexit affect copyright legislation?

The UK’s future relationship with the European Union, and the implications for UK regulation, are full of uncertainty. For example, how much of the EU’s Digital Single Market strategy the UK will maintain is unclear. Here, Professor Alison Harcourt of the University of Exeter looks in detail at the DSM initiative’s copyright package, and the potential impact of the UK leaving the EU on UK and other European stakeholders

Institutionalising soft governance in the European information society

© 'The European Union and the Culture Industries', David Ward (ed.), 2008, Ashgate. Chapter is post-print version

EC Should Encourage Transparency and Co-ordination, not Duplication & Liberalisation

Media concentration continues to grow in Europe. Pressure from the European Parliament and NGOs prompted the European Commission to establish a High Level Group, which reported on media pluralism in early 2013. The Commission’s DG Connect then responded to Group’s report with its own proposals. University of Exeter’s Alison Harcourt points out the problems with these proposals and suggests the Commission focus rather on using soft policy initiatives to encourage transparency and co-ordination among existing stakeholders

COVID-19 and Prisoners’ Rights

As COVID-19 continues to spread rapidly across the country, the crowded and unsanitary conditions in prisons, jails, juvenile detention, and immigration detention centers leave incarcerated individuals especially vulnerable. This chapter will discuss potential avenues for detained persons and their lawyers seeking to use the legal system to obtain relief, including potential release, during this extraordinary, unprecedented crisis

‘I think it affects every aspect of my life, really’: Cancer survivors’ experience of living with chronic pain after curative cancer treatment in England, UK

AimTo explore cancer survivors’ experiences of living with chronic pain after curative cancer treatment in England, UK.MethodsA qualitative study using telephone interviews with adult cancer survivors experiencing chronic pain after curative cancer treatment. Interview data was analysed using a reflexive thematic approach (1–3). FindingsNineteen participants: 14 female, 5 male, mean age 62.4 years, 1.5 - 48 years since cancer diagnosis, eight tumour groups represented. Six participants (31.6%) developed chronic pain more than ten years after completing cancer treatment (range 0-25 years). Five themes were generated which highlighted the experience of chronic pain after cancer treatment for cancer survivors: 1) ‘Hear me… believe me…. Please’. Survivors felt that they had not been listened to when they tried to talk about their chronic pain after cancer treatment, nor at times, believed. 2) ‘Expectation versus reality’. Survivors had anticipated returning to pre cancer quality of life yet living in chronic pain prevented them from doing so. 3)‘They don’t understand…. We don’t understand’. Cancer survivors did not feel informed or prepared for the risk or reality of chronic pain after cancer treatment and this compounded the difficulties of coping with and managing their pain. They felt health care professionals lacked knowledge and understanding of chronic pain after cancer. 4) ‘Negotiating the maze’. Cancer survivors encountered unclear and limited pathways for support, often bouncing from one support team to another. Identifying and accessing services was a challenge, and the responsibility of this was often left to the survivor. 5) ‘Validate my pain, validate me’. Palpable relief and benefit was felt when health care professionals diagnosed and acknowledged their chronic pain after cancer treatment. ConclusionsCancer survivors can feel ill prepared for the risk of chronic pain after cancer treatment and can experience challenges accessing support from healthcare professionals and clinical services