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UK: Parliament wants Ofcom to hold final merger say

By  |  February 4, 2014

The House of Lords is reportedly calling upon the UK’s communications regulator Ofcom to have the last say on the clearance of major media mergers, a power they want stripped from politicians, following the controversial 2010/2011 $13 billion takeover offer of BSkyB by News Corporation.

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    The House of Lords communications committee released a report on media plurality Tuesday that acknowledged concerns regarding the BSkyB buyout.

    ”Responsibility for reconciling plurality and competition assessments of transactions and for reaching a final decision should rest with the Ofcom board, not the secretary of state,” the committee’s chair Lord Iglewood wrote in the report.

    Review of News Corporation’s efforts to boost its stake in BSKyB from 39.1 percent to full control sparked a storm of controversy when business secretary Vince Cable admitted to declaring “war” against News Corp’s plans; the politician was subsequently stripped of his powers.

    Full Content: The Guardian

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