MUMBAI: The BBC Trust in the UK decided to apply a Public Value Test (PVT) to the BBC Executive's proposal for a permanent high definition (HD) television channel.

The Public Value Test will begin on 21 May 2007. Documentation - including the BBC Executive's application for approval of the new service, terms of reference for Ofcom's Market Impact Assessment and a timetable for the process - will be published at that time. That week will also see the start of a 28-day consultation period for both the Public Value Assessment by the Trust and the Market Impact Assessment by Ofcom. The Trust expects its final decision will be published by 21 November 2007.

The BBC Trust's Public Value Test has three components. The first is a Public Value Assessment, carried out by the Trust. The second is a Market Impact Assessment, carried out by Ofcom to terms agreed jointly by the Trust and Ofcom. These run concurrently. The third is the Trust's consideration of both assessments: the Public Value Test, resulting in the Trust's provisional conclusions which it publishes for consultation before reaching its final decision.