House Judiciary Chair Objects to UK Plan Giving BBC and Other Broadcasters Extra Visibility on Social Media

Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, sent correspondence Tuesday to UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy objecting to government proposals that would require platforms including Meta, Google and YouTube to give enhanced visibility to material from public service broadcasters such as the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.

GB News reported that the letter stated the measures would serve as a major threat to online speech and infringe on the rights of American companies. Jordan wrote that several of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport proposals would hurt the free, competitive marketplace of ideas and instead prioritise state-sanctioned media outlets with the goal of influencing the scope and direction of public discourse.

He requested a detailed explanation of British officials' intentions and a briefing on ongoing consideration and prospective implementation of the reforms. The correspondence was shared with The Telegraph. The proposals were unveiled by the UK government last month.

GB News reported that ministers are examining whether to extend public service media status to digital-only outlets and are consulting on transitioning to internet-based television by either 2034 or 2044. Ofcom research shows three-quarters of 16 to 24-year-olds now rely primarily on social media for their news, while more than half of British adults count social media platforms among their principal news sources.

The intervention adds to friction between the governments over technology regulation.

President Trump launched a $10 billion defamation lawsuit against the BBC in 2025 after a memo published by The Telegraph suggested that BBC Panorama had doctored footage of a speech. The UK digital services tax, a two per cent charge on revenues from social media companies, search engines and online marketplaces earning more than £500 million, was introduced in April 2020.