Part 5: Regulation of radio services Section 41: Licensing of analogue radio services
This section amends Chapters 1 and 2 of Part 3 of the BA 1990 on the licensing of analogue radio services.
	Subsection (2) amends section 85 of the BA 1990 so as to remove the duty on OFCOM to provide for a diversity of national analogue (i.e. AM / FM) services and a range and diversity of local analogue services, given the range of national and local services that are now available via digital means. This change also gives OFCOM more flexibility to decide whether or not to relicense any analogue frequency which may be vacated over the coming years as radio broadcasters focus on DAB digital radio and online distribution.
	Subsection (3) amends section 97B of the BA 1990 to enable OFCOM, in the event that a date for digital switchover is set in accordance with section 97A of that Act, to extend existing analogue radio licences until that date. This provides OFCOM with a way to extend licences for a relatively short period of time and avoid the need for further legislation in the event that a switchover date is set which post-dates the licence period of any remaining analogue licences.
	Subsections (4) to (7) make amendments consequential to the amendments to section 85 of the BA 1990 set out in subsection (2).
	Subsections (8) and (9) remove the process by which OFCOM must revoke the licence of a national (commercial radio) service for ceasing its analogue transmission. This will enable Classic FM and TalkSPORT (the two remaining national commercial stations providing an analogue as well as a digital service) to surrender their licences and stop broadcasting over FM and AM respectively once their analogue listenership levels mean that it is no longer commercially justifiable to do so.