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www.southgatearc.org
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Airwaves sale must 'prove worth'Ofcom has been accused by union leaders of "betraying the nation" over the sell-off of the airwaves The regulator is currently working on plans to auction off the spectrum freed up by the digital switchover process. The auction starts in 2009 and lobbying for how it should be conducted is already fierce. Tony Lennon, president of union BECTU, believes a public-value test to determine how best to use such a valuable national resource is crucial. Speaking at a recent Westminster eForum on the issue of switchover, Tony Lennon, the president of BECTU - UK union for broadcasting, film, theatre, entertainment, leisure, interactive media and allied sectors - said he was "appalled" at the way the auction was happening. "I am stunned that public property is being packaged up and sold off in this way. If Ofcom gets it wrong it will be a massive act of treachery," he said. "Effectively what Ofcom is doing is selling it off to the highest bidder. Allowing the people with the biggest cheque-books to decide is not the best way." BECTU - which represents about 27,000 workers across the audio-visual and cultural industries in the UK - is lobbying for a public value test to be applied to bidders in the auction, to ensure that citizens gain the services they most need. "As well as economic tests, each bid should be assessed on social criteria as well," he said. Philip Rutnam, one of the keynote speakers at the recent Westminster eForum, moved to reassure delegates of Ofcom's intentions. "We are not here to raise money for the exchequer but for the greatest benefit of society and citizens," he said.
Read the full BBC News story at:
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