Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I move amendment No. 26:

In page 34, line 33, to delete "sound".

This amendment arises from matters raised by Deputy McManus on Committee Stage. The amendment requires the broadcasting authority of Ireland, in preparing its licensing strategy, to consider the particular digital broadcasting needs of community broadcasters, including both community radio broadcasters and community television broadcasters.

Amendments Nos. 61 and 67 amend the definitions of "community radio" and "community television" contained in sections 64 and 72, respectively, to incorporate the principle that community broadcasters provide a social benefit to the communities they serve. These amendments collectively address the point raised by Deputy McManus in amendment No. 115 and, consequently, I do not propose to accept that amendment.

Amendment No. 68, in the name of Deputy McManus, relates to the information made available by community broadcasters on electronic programme guides regulated in Ireland and whether the community broadcasters need to pay for the provision of such information. The main platforms in question are the MMDS and cable platforms. The electronic programme guide framework is set out in section 74. This is essentially an updating of the electronic programme guide framework set out in the Broadcasting Act 2001. The framework ensures that the positions of RTE, TV3 and TG4 are prioritised on electronic programme guides made available in the State.

Deputy McManus's amendments suggest that community television stations should not have to pay for the information that describes the services on the electronic programme guide. I understand that the service description is not provided by the cable-MMDS operator but by a third party and, therefore, it is not within the control of the cable-MMDS provider to provide the text. The working position is that all broadcasters must pay the third party that compiles and provides the information found on the electronic programme guide. Therefore, if a community broadcaster wishes to have information on its content detailed on an electronic programme guide, it should pay the cost required by the third party that compiles the information. It is, of course, appropriate that the cable-MMDS operators should facilitate minimum identification to community channels carried.

Section 77(8) provides that the broadcasting authority may require that a community television broadcaster be carried on a digital or analogue network maintained by a network provider, reflecting the reality that capacity constraints may necessarily impose limitations on the network on which a community television broadcaster can be carried. It is best left to the broadcasting authority of Ireland to make such a decision, having taken into consideration capacity constraints and the remit, locality and target audience of the community television broadcaster. For this reason, I cannot accept amendment No. 71.

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