Here in the U.K., along with most other countries, we give Must Carry status to a handful of Public Service Broadcasters (PSBs). This means organisations like the BBC, ITV and Channel 4 get an analogue terrestrial channel, slots on the Digital Terrestrial TV (DTT) system, and guaranteed access to cable and satellite systems.

Must Carry used to be a big deal, but in the world of multichannel TV it is increasingly meaningless, because a TV channel is available to almost anyone. This means that regulators, like our own Ofcom, are increasingly limited in the demands they can place on Public Service Broadcasters to fund content of Public Value - stuff like news and high-quality drama with a distinct local flavour, which helps countries to maintain their own culture and language, and to carry on collective conversations about important issues. Almost every country in the world provides some assistance Public Service Broadcasting, so the reducing effectiveness of Must Carry is of international significance.

Roll forward to the world of TV over broadband. I have a fast Internet connection at home. It's more than fast enough to allow me to watch real-time video from anywhere on the Internet. However it takes me more than 45 mins to download a standard 24 min show from Channel 4. That means I can't truly watch content on demand, I have to wait for the download.

Why is this? It's because my ISP does not provide a fast enough connection to Channel 4's video servers. This is clearly technically possible, because BT has started promoting it's own full-blown video on demand service over it's own broadband connections. I also have reason to believe that it is economically possible for broadband providers to open up this feature of their network without making an extra charge to users or broadcasters (I'll save you the details).

Therefore, I propose that major ISPs should provide the facility for must carry channels to offer real-time video on demand services over their network, at no charge to the broadcaster. The technical details of exactly how this is done could be left to individual ISPs, as long as the system was also economic for broadcasters.

As Internet speeds increase the value of broadband Must Carry would also reduce, but in the next few years it could offer a vital helping hand to PSBs as they attempt to establish their online video presence.

I've not evaluated this proposal in detail or checked that it definitely technically feasible, but I'm not aware that anyone else has either. Isn't it about time?