Idris Elba, who has called for a more diverse media. Frantzesco Kangaris / PA Wire/Press Association Images. All rights reserved.Ofcom is now the regulator for the entire broadcasting sector and has a decisive role to play in driving diversity and inclusion. For the commercial sector, Sections 27 and 337 of the Communications Act requires Ofcom and broadcasters to promote equal opportunities. Now, the BBC White Paper has said the BBC should be at the forefront of representing diversity on and off screen and that it needs to do better. The Charter gives Ofcom the power to ensure the BBC delivers.
In the past Ofcom did not take its equality duties seriously. Had it done more than the bare minimum, we might have expected to see an increase in BAME employment and the industry would look very different today.
One key driver of diversity is transparency of diversity data. The Independent Television Commission (ITC) made it a licence requirement that the licencees supply their equality monitoring data to the regulator. The data was published annually for each named licence together with a commentary on their actions and progress. Ofcom decided not to publish such data.
