This meant that a few channels catered for the interests of mass audiences, exercising significant power and influence. In such an environment there was little room for diversity either in ownership or content. Special rules were appropriate to safeguard genuine choice by guarding against further concentration of ownership. Action was necessary to ensure availability of choices for consumers by rules guaranteeing national and regional content, and programmes catering for minority interests. The Internet is different.
Traditional broadcasting is one-way communication from a single channel operator to many consumers.
As the barriers to providing information over the Internet are significantly lower than those for broadcasting, there are far more content providers. In short, the problems of ensuring consumers can make genuine choices, and the availability of material catering for a wide range of tastes are not a pressing issue for the Internet. The special broadcasting rules are simply unnecessary. There are, however, problems with the Internet. These are to do with illegal content and content that may offend current social norms.