BBC Looks to Reform Licence Fee; Elon Musk Loses Lawsuit Against Watchdog Group; Amazon Pharmacy Expands Same-Day Delivery Service

by Aimee Newell Tarín on 27th Mar 2024 in News

On today’s news digest: BBC Looks to Reform Licence Fee; Elon Musk Loses Lawsuit Against Watchdog Group; Amazon Pharmacy Expands Same-Day Delivery Service

The BBC will be exploring how to reform the licence fee post-2028, announced the broadcaster’s director general, Tim Davie. He said they would be looking at the fee’s scope, how progressive it is, and its enforcement, as well as how to make it more affordable to people on lower incomes. Next year, the broadcaster plans to open up a consultation process so the public is able to inform and drive the debate. Other plans for the BBC’s future include boosting commercial income with possible third-party deals.

In the US, a judge has thrown out Elon Musk’s lawsuit against the nonprofit group Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), which faulted the group for detailing a rise in hate speech on his platform X. The judge dealing with the case said it was evident that Musk had sued the group because he didn’t like its criticism and feared this would scare advertisers away.

Other US-focused news includes Amazon Pharmacy’s expansion of its same-day delivery service. Already available in Austin, Indianapolis, Miami, Phoenix, and Seattle, same-day delivery for prescription medication is now being extended to New York City and the greater LA area. The retail giant plans to expand the service to more than a dozen US cities by the end of the year. The service is being powered by generative AI and machine learning, which help pharmacists to fill prescriptions more quickly and accurately.