Joe O'Toole (Independent)

I spoke at length on this issue on Second and Committee Stages. I welcome this very much and it has been long in coming. People were trying to make the case that there were copyright reasons it could not be delivered whereas it can be delivered by set-top boxes or cards.

I live all of 17 miles away from here and I do not have broadband in my house. The only way I can get it is through satellite. The satellite provider provides broadband from the Astra satellite which also broadcasts television. In Europe, one provider usually provides a combination of broadband, voice over Internet, telephone and television. Do they come under this restriction? Until now, the situation was that RTE had a particular agreement with Sky and unless one was a Sky account holder, one could not receive RTE through the Astra satellite. Even though one could see the signal was there, one could not receive it. The reason given for this was that the Astra satellite has a footprint all over western Europe and RTE would be breaching its copyright, which was buying it for the population of the State. I understand that.

However, in terms of what I described to the Minister, somebody receiving broadband from an Irish supplier to an Irish address for an Irish citizen in Ireland is not in any way breaching copyright, but have not been able to be supplied with RTE until now. I want to be assured that people in that situation will not be blocked. I am not saying I would prefer RTE to be free-to-air from the Astra satellite.

Where customers in an Irish household, with an Irish address, receiving a signal delivered from an Irish company which is supplying them with broadband and perhaps with voice over Internet telephone and television, RTE will now be required and must be offered as part of that deal from here on. It always wanted to offer it but it was not allowed to until now. I hope the question I am asking is clear to the Minister. I do not think it is overly technical and it is straightforward. Can this be done? I have raised this matter with RTE on a number of occasions. It should be much broader than this but I do not want to go into that at this point.

I want to be clear that where providers are doing what is happening all over Europe, that is, providing television, VOIP and broadband, that RTE will be part of that package.