To answer your question would involve me looking back through old press articles,probably out of date by now, but the general drift from what I could remember was that the withholding of the cam was against european competition laws in terms of the channel providers having to use videoguard and the stb manufacturers.
It seems that for other channel providers to gain a platform to broadcast to the Uk they have to go through a digibox and be encrypted with videoguard. Obviously they could broadcast via satellite using other encryptions but would it be at 28 deg and if not think of the expense of equiping the uk with the ability to watch at other sat positions.
It seems Murdoch has weaved a tangled web within the Uk involving giving digiboxes away, witholding cam access, bribing government with his ability to modernise broadcasting,and at the same time creating a monopoly for the future.
Lets hope these people in Brussels have got what it takes!
