RTE, emigrants and the Broadcasting Act 2009

rlogue

Section 114 of the Broadcasting Act, 2009 makes specific provision for RTÉ to provide an overseas television service aimed at the Irish communities abroad. Here's what the Act says:

Powers and Objectives of RTÉ

(f) to establish, maintain and operate a television broadcasting
service and a sound broadcasting service which shall
have the character of a public service, which services shall
be made available, in so far as RTÉ considers reasonably
practicable, to Irish communities outside the island of
Ireland

We know that RTÉ never did set up that service, as there was a Mexican standoff between them and the previous government over the funding of transmission.

I can now reveal the service actually came extremely close to launching - weeks almost - RTÉ had already approached a transmission agent and the Freesat EPG entry had been booked. RTÉ had also advertised for playout facilities in London for the new channel.

However it all came unstuck when it came to the funding of the actual transmission itself. RTÉ wanted the government to fund the transmission costs, the government refused.

So where now? And why is this relevant if grey market Sky boxes are available provided a few hoops are jumped through?

The fact is that although the Irish channels are being broadcast on Astra 2D, and that footprint is wide enough to cover Britain and a lot of Northern Europe provided a big enough dish is used. With tighter footprints on offer the abililty to receive Irish TV with an Irish registered Sky box will diminish, especially if the Irish channels move to a Ireland only footprint.

But is all lost for the hope of an Irish channel abroad?

Not quite. A less well known clause in the Broadcasting Act of 2009 is Section 110, subsection (4):

(4) RTÉ shall on the third and fifth anniversaries of 18 April 2007
carry out a review of the provision of the television broadcasting
service and sound broadcasting service referred to in paragraph (f)
of section 114(1).

And subsections (5) and (6) state:

(5) RTÉ shall make a report to the Minister of each review
carried out by it under subsection (4).

(6) The Minister shall cause copies of each report made to him or
her under subsection (5) to be laid before each House of the
Oireachtas.

So according to the act, a review would have taken place on 18 April 2010 and another is due on 18 April 2012 with the reports placed before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

I'm going to see if Pat Rabbitte will make the report available...

The Cush

rlogue wrote: »

So according to the act, a review would have taken place on 18 April 2010 and another is due on 18 April 2012 with the reports placed before the Houses of the Oireachtas.

I'm going to see if Pat Rabbitte will make the report available...

The Minister for Communications answered questions on this in the Dáil last year if I remember correctly.

rlogue

Had a trawl through Kildarestreet.com and could not find any references to the then Minister talking about it at the time but will have a trawl through the Oireachtas site when I have some time at the weekend.

Meanwhile I have sent off a letter to Pat Rabbitte to find out what the new governments policy will be on this.