This is taken from the Financial Times:

Tories consider ways to scrap BBC charter
By Ben Fenton and Andrew Parker
Last updated: October 18 2009 23:30

The Conservatives would reverse two of the main proposals in the government’s Digital Britain bill and are considering plans to rip up the BBC’s royal charter, according to the Tory shadow culture secretary.

Jeremy Hunt said a Conservative government would scrap a proposed 50p a month tax on all telephone lines, aimed at raising about £175m a year towards the cost of funding superfast broadband to UK homes, “as soon as possible” after the election, expected in May.

In an interview with the Financial Times, Mr Hunt also promised to reverse government plans to force the BBC to share £130m of the television licence fee with other broadcasters.

The measures are at the heart of the Digital Britain agenda the government aims to turn into law before the election.

Mr Hunt also said the BBC was “out of touch” with what licence-fee payers wanted and crushed media competition.

Mr Hunt blamed the governance structure, in the form of the BBC Trust, which he said acted as both regulator and cheerleader, and should be replaced. The trust was set up in 2005 and forms part of the royal charter of the BBC, which expires in 2015.

Mr Hunt said: “We haven’t made a decision on the timing of [changes in the governance structure], but we do think the structure . . . has failed.

“We are looking into whether it would be appropriate to rip up the charter in the middle of it, or whether one should wait.”

In spite of Tory criticism of Ofcom, Mr Hunt said the broadcasting regulator would not be scrapped by a Conservative government, but it would change, with policymaking powers returned to ministers.