Communications and Digital Committee

LordsSelectest. 23 Apr 2007Email ↗● Actively Monitored
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Sessions analysed28
Commitments39
Positions87
Recommendations108

Latest Signals

01 Sept 2026Children’s Commissioner backs the Act but says it is too narrowPosition
“[Speaker: Dame Rachel de Souza] I hugely welcomed it. It is ground-breaking legislation. I am positive about it. I am really pleased we have it. When I talk to my counterparts across the world—I have been in Australia, New Zealand and most European countries talking to children’s commissioners—they are quite jealous of our legislation, so we can be positive. Let us start with the positives. We all agree now—we all have a bit of a common definition—about what would be harmful for children. That is a positive.”
01 Sept 2026Ofcom risk assessments are not transparent to the CommissionerConcern
01 Sept 2026Under-18s, especially vulnerable teens, remain exposedConcern
01 Sept 2026Amendments may be needed to cover AI chatbotsLegislative
01 Sept 2026Ofcom has not been effective enough in enforcementConcern
15 Jul 2026BBC says bias concerns are about judgment and cultureBBCPosition
15 Jul 2026BBC must reinvent itself for a disrupted media worldBBCPosition
15 Jul 2026Growth purpose could skew BBC away from public serviceBBCConcern

Recent Sessions

View all (28)
01 Sept 2026Online Safety Act: Children, Ofcom and AI harms
1 pos3 concern4 rec1 leg
15 Jul 2026BBC charter review: platforms, AI and funding
2 commit7 pos1 concern6 rec
16 Jun 2026BBC charter review: PSB distribution, R&D and AI
2 pos1 concern5 rec
09 Jun 2026BBC charter: creative economy and skills
1 commit1 pos3 concern3 rec1 disag
02 Jun 2026BBC charter review: platforms, partnerships and R&D
3 pos6 concern6 rec1 disag1 leg
14 Apr 2026Arts Council England reform, funding and devolution
2 pos3 concern7 rec

Recent Commitments

View all (39)

Recent Recommendations

View all (108)

Frequent Witnesses

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology3× · 12 insights
BBC2× · 28 insights
Ofcom2× · 27 insights
University College London2× · 9 insights
Department for Culture, Media and Sport2× · 9 insights
Independent Review of Arts Council England1× · 12 insights

About this committee

The Communications and Digital Committee of the House of Lords scrutinises policy and regulation across digital infrastructure, online safety, artificial intelligence, and creative industries. Operating as a House of Lords Select Committee, it takes oral evidence from witnesses and conducts detailed inquiries into emerging issues. The committee has focused extensively on artificial intelligence and copyright, conducting a series of sessions examining UK licensing frameworks and international approaches to protect rights holders, with evidence gathering from relevant stakeholders across the creative sector. It has also investigated implementation of the Online Safety Act, including examination of Ofcom's codes and proactive technology measures to address live-streaming safeguards. Recent work has addressed the Arts and Humanities Research Council's reforms through the Hodge independent review, reflecting the committee's broad remit across the digital economy and cultural sectors.