Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 978: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his preferred options for the development and the provision of the full range of Irish broadcasting services at home and abroad, whether by satellite or other means in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29205/08]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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RTÉ's statutory mandate, as defined in Section 28(1) of the Broadcasting Act, 2001, provides that RTÉ's radio and television services shall be made available, in so far as is reasonably practicable, to the whole community on the Island of Ireland.

In addition, Section 3 of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Act 2007, amends RTÉ's public service remit by requiring the national public service broadcaster to provide a television and radio service to Irish communities abroad and stipulating that any such television service must be representative of the existing RTÉ One, RTÉ Two and TG4 channels.

Section 14 of the Broadcasting (Amendment) Act 2007 empowers RTÉ to utilise the public funding it receives in respect of television licence fee income in pursuance of this amended public service remit. The method by which, RTÉ fulfils this obligation is an operational issue for RTÉ. In this regard, RTÉ has been pursuing a number of options. Radio services are currently provided over a wide range of media — over radio, on long-wave 252 and in the FM band, over satellite and over the Internet.

Long wave is available throughout Ireland and the UK. The Long Wave 252 transmitter which is based in Summerhill Co. Meath, broadcasts RTÉ Radio 1. Long wave signals travel over very long distances and so a single transmitting station is sufficient to provide coverage throughout Ireland and the UK.

In 2006-07, RTE replaced their long wave transmitter with a more efficient model. As well as providing an improved analogue service, the new transmitter is capable of being upgraded to a digital service in the future. For the listener, analogue long wave radio sets are widely available and inexpensive — prices start from as low as about €8.

In 2007, RTE closed its medium wave (MW) transmitters. MW was also used by listeners throughout Northern Ireland for reception of RTE Radio 1, but the transmitters were inefficient and expensive to operate. The new long wave transmitter has replaced this service.

FM radio offers superior quality to long wave or medium wave radio. However, radio in the FM band is suitable for coverage over short distances only and cannot be received in certain areas in Northern Ireland or in the UK. Coverage of RTE FM in Northern Ireland is achieved through overspill of the RTE signals from the radio transmitter sites closest to the Northern Ireland border. Locations in Northern Ireland which are furthest from these sites cannot receive coverage.

RTE has started to develop a Digital audio broadcasting (DAB) network. As with FM, this is only suitable for coverage over short distances, but is likely to be made available through overspill within Northern Ireland. Over satellite — Sky carries all four radio channels, serving listeners on satellite throughout Ireland, Great Britain and on the continent.

In addition, RTE is planning to use an alternative satellite option — freesat — to provide access to both an international TV service and to the RTE radio services. The coverage provided by FreeSat will be similar to the existing Sky satellite but FreeSat is not a subscription service. Its users will pay only the once-off costs of a dish and a set-top receiver. For both television and radio audiences, this is an important step forward. It will provide an unencrypted television service and extend the availability of radio at a cost which is both reasonable and non-recurrent.

As with the FM radio content, television services are currently available through overspill in certain parts of Northern Ireland. This is likely to continue into the future, over the digital terrestrial television network. No single transmission system can meet the needs of all Irish listeners across the island of Ireland and abroad. Constraints such as cost, technical limitations and international regulatory agreements need to be considered here. Nor should the listeners be limited to using a particular means of accessing content. In addition to the more traditional methods of receiving radio and television, access to broadcasting services over the internet and satellite continues to grow in popularity.

This is why, in deciding on how to provide services both at home and abroad, RTÉ has continued to embrace different forms of distribution such as digital technologies, satellite and the Internet.

Before the year's end, FreeSat will mark another stage of progress and provide additional choice for listeners in both Northern Ireland and the UK.