Ofcom and the comms bill: Your chance to shape the law

The parliamentary committee looking into the fine print of the draft Communications Bill is using the web to open up its deliberations to the public.

This is the first time in parliamentary history that the whole population will be able to shape proposed legislation in this way.

People will be able to see and hear all evidence sessions of the Joint Committee on the Draft Communications Bill. The sessions will be webcast live on Parliament's own site, http://www.parliamentlive.tv , and recorded by digital television channel BBC Parliament for televising the following weekend.

The online discussion forum at http://www.commbill.net will then offer experts and members of the public the opportunity to have their say. It will focus on five topics covered by the draft bill: the objectives for the new communications regulator, Ofcom content regulation competition regulation public service broadcasting and the role of the Consumer Panel.

The BBC is also being urged to stream the debates live on its website, but has not yet unveiled plans to do so.

Lord Puttnam, chairman of the committee, said in a statement: "This is a genuinely ground-breaking initiative, which will for the first time allow members of the public to discuss important legislation online, knowing that a parliamentary committee is really listening. It is an important contribution to extending democratic debate."

Graham Allen MP said: "The United Kingdom has finally become a full democracy. For the first time in history every single person in this country will be able to take part directly in making the country's laws. This dramatic advance goes beyond the wildest dreams of the Levellers, and the Chartists, and the suffragettes, and all the other historic British campaigners for democracy. Yet it has happened without riot, upheaval or civil war, without even a Reform Bill, by using technology to bring power to the people."

Evidence sessions started yesterday, and the forum opens for business on 10 June for four weeks. It will be organised by the Hansard Society (a charity promoting effective parliamentary democracy) and Post (parliament's own science advisers) who will summarise the discussions and regularly report back to the committee.

However, people wishing to register their comments can email Edemocracy@lse.ac.uk before then.