Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On the issue of the cost to RTÉ and those things, RTÉ obviously is best positioned to answer. My Bill provides for making it available free of charge for personal use and academics. This is the model you see in other European countries. As for who pays, the citizens pay but they pay for RTÉ through their tax and their licence fee. They have already paid for this. If there is to be commercial use, then a commercial fee should apply, as is the policy at present. That is, again, totally legitimate. To recap on the question of who is it for, it is for anybody who wants it. It would be free for personal use for citizens and free for academics. Who pays? Everyone pays because we are already paying for RTÉ.

I do not have a problem with that because public service broadcasting is important. We pay through our taxes and through the TV licence.