Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 323: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the position regarding the contract signing with a company (details supplied) for digital terrestrial television; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48144/09]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The Broadcasting Act 2009 provides for the development of digital terrestrial television in Ireland and for the closure of the national analogue TV network. The legislation requires the newly established Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to provide for the development of commercial digital terrestrial television services. The BAI is an independent regulatory authority and I have no direct function in these matters.

A competition for commercial multiplexes was initiated by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) in 2008 and is still ongoing. The contract has been offered to the One Vision consortium and the BAI, which replaced the BCI under the 2009 Broadcasting Act, has taken over the role of the BCI in finalising this competition. As I have said in reply to previous parliamentary questions, I am concerned on policy grounds to see an early agreement on the provision of commercial DTT services and an early time path for the implementation of such agreement.