Canvas could still be blanked!

Virgin Media are launching a complaint to OFCOM about Project Canvas. If succesful this might still see Canvas stopped.

We are impressed that the complaint is based around the point that Project Canvas has not promoted open standards. This is a useful line of attack, as it gets to the root of the BBC's interest in Canvas.

To quote from a footnote in David Grahams report for the Adam Smith Institute:

This may be behind the BBC’s desire to promote "hybrid" devices like Canvas. At a recent conference, a BBC executive, Richard Halton, said that Canvas, a hybrid device that combines access to the internet and to broadcast channels, required the payment of a BBC Licence Fee because it was capable of receiving a live transmission. www.marketforce.eu.com/broadcasting

Clearly the BBC does not want open standards in place otherwise you could just use a Google TV box to access SeeSaw (for example) and not bother with a TV Licence.