MUMBAI: The BBC Trust's Public Value and Fair Trading Committee has decided to apply a public value test (PVT) to UK pubcaster the BBC's local video proposal.

The PVT will begin on 24 June 2008. Documentation – including the BBC Executive's application document and a timetable for the process – will be published at that time. The date marks the start of a four-week consultation period for both the public value assessment by the Trust and the market impact assessment by Ofcom.

The Trust expects to publish its final decision by 25 February 2009. 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.