Broadcasting Act 1990

18 Failure to begin providing licensed service and financial penalties on revocation of licence. U.K.

(1) If at any time after a Channel 3 licence has been granted to any person but before the licence has come into force—

(a) that person indicates to the Commission that he does not intend to provide the service in question, or

(b) the Commission for any other reason have reasonable grounds for believing that that person will not provide that service once the licence has come into force,

then, subject to subsection (2)—

(i) the Commission shall serve on him a notice revoking the licence as from the time the notice is served on him, and

(ii) section 17 shall (subject to section 17(14)) have effect as if he had not made an application for the licence.

(2) Subsection (1) shall not apply in the case of any person by virtue of paragraph (b) of that subsection unless the Commission have served on him a notice stating their grounds for believing that he will not provide the service in question once his licence has come into force; and they shall not serve such a notice on him unless they have given him a reasonable opportunity of making representations to them about the matters complained of.

(3) Where the Commission revoke a Channel 3 licence under this section or under any other provision of this Part, they shall serve on the licence holder a notice requiring him to pay to them, within a specified period, a financial penalty of the prescribed amount.

(4) In subsection (3) “the prescribed amount” means—

(a) where—

(i) the licence is revoked under this section, or

(ii) the first complete accounting period of the licence holder falling within the period for which the licence is in force has not yet ended,

7 per cent. of the amount which the Commission estimate would have been the qualifying revenue for that accounting period (as determined in accordance with section 19(2) to (6)); and

(b) in any other case, 7 per cent. of the qualifying revenue for the last complete accounting period of the licence holder so falling (as so determined).

(5) Any financial penalty payable by any body by virtue of subsection (3) shall, in addition to being recoverable from that body as provided by section 68(5), be recoverable by the Commission as a debt due to them from any person who controls that body.

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 18(3) modified (1.11.1996) by 1996 c. 55, s. 145(6)(a); S.I. 1996/2120, art. 4, Sch. 1; S.I. 1996/2120, art. 5, Sch. 2