The Conservative MP calling for the BBC licence fee to be replaced with a voluntary subscription is expecting a response to his request for a review of the matter from the culture secretary by the middle of the week.

Andrew Bridgen, he MP for North West Leicestershire, said he does not yet have details of the number of MPs who have lent their support to his campaign after his letter to Sajid Javid was made public on Sunday, but said that, “anecdotally in the [Commons] tea room colleagues have been very supportive”.

Up to 50 MPs could back Bridgen’s call for a review of the licence fee, outlined in his letter to Javid, according to the Sunday Express.

It is thought that some of the BBC’s political supporters may also write to Javid, countering some of Bridgen’s suggestions. Although online viewing could be restricted, questions remain about how a subscription-based model would work with the BBC’s universal broadcast signal, especially for radio.

In his letter, Bridgen says: “The BBC should be planning for a future without the licence fee and considering subscription-based payment options, as well as the wealth of further opportunities that exist for its worldwide operations.”

Bridgen also told the Guardian that he does not think the corporation should go ahead with its proposal to hive off parts of BBC production into a separate standalone subsidiary.

“I’ve not had a reply yet [from Javid], but am expecting one by the middle of the week,” said Bridgen. “I expect the government will take account of the strength of feeling across the house for the reforms I’m looking for. And the feeling across the House will reflect the feeling across the nation.

“Our constituents’ feelings are always valid, but never more than in the run-up to the general election. This is the time with charter review starting shortly.”

Bridgen, who campaigned for evasion of the licence fee to be decriminalised earlier this year, wants the BBC’s charter – which runs until the end of 2016 – to be reduced from the current length of 10 years.

He also raised questions about whether the corporation’s commercial arm, BBC Worldwide, could better exploit its intellectual property.

“The charter period needs to be shorter. I have been asking questions about the time-span, it’s too long,” he said.

“Ten years ago we didn’t have iPads etc. I’m also very, very concerned about the way BBC Worldwide is being administered. The BBC seems to think the licence fee is their salvation, it’s driving them apart from the public.“

He also said he disagreed with the BBC’s proposal to hive off some of its in-house production into a standalone subsidiary.

“I would rather they actually contract out to a large number of smaller production companies rather than have a behemoth themselves,” Bridgen said.

A BBC spokesman said: “At just £2.80 a week the BBC licence fee is excellent value for money – only this weekend newspapers have been reporting the rising costs of subscription services. It’s vital that programmes like EastEnders, Strictly, Sherlock, Doctor Who and Match of the Day can be watched by everyone – not a select few; and support for the licence fee has actually risen by 22% since 2004 and remains the most popular way of funding the BBC.”

• To contact the MediaGuardian news desk email media@theguardian.com or phone 020 3353 3857. For all other inquiries please call the main Guardian switchboard on 020 3353 2000. If you are writing a comment for publication, please mark clearly “for publication”.

• To get the latest media news to your desktop or mobile, follow MediaGuardian on Twitter and Facebook.