Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 433: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to replace the current television licence system with a content licence system; the appliances the content licence would apply to and if same would include laptops, smartphones, kindles, iPads and so on; the way the revenue from the content licence would be divided; if same will only apply to broadcasters or if online content providers would also be eligible for a share of the content licence fee; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22179/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The Programme for Government commits to examining the role and collection of the TV Licence Fee in light of existing and projected convergence of broadcasting technologies and to transform the TV licence into a household based Public Broadcasting Charge to be applied to all households and applicable businesses, regardless of the device they use to access content.

This commitment does not foresee the replacement of the current television licence system with a content licence system applicable to either all or certain classes of appliances. The household based charge, if introduced, would in fact serve to remove the link between the fee and the appliance being used to access the content.

In line with this commitment, my Department is currently undertaking an exercise whereby it is examining both the effectiveness and efficiency of the current model of television licence fee collection, in the context of the changing technological environment, and examining the efficiency of various international models for the funding of public service broadcasting. The results of the exercise will be an analysis of the most effective models in terms of efficiency, capability to fund our public service broadcasting service and equity of applicability. The scope of work being carried out under this review is quite extensive. Nevertheless, I expect to receive recommendations arising out of this review by year end and, following that, work will begin on developing any necessary legislative proposals that might be required to facilitate the implementation of any recommendations that I decide to take forward.

In terms of revenue distribution, the Deputy may also be aware that the Programme for Government commits to reviewing the funding of public and independent broadcasters to ensure a healthy broadcasting environment in Ireland.

The broadcasting sector in general has faced a challenging funding environment in recent years with a large fall in commercial advertising revenues. It is understandable in such a situation that extending further the scope of public service funding would seem attractive to some. However, great care should be taken in considering any such course of action. The rationale for providing State funding for public service broadcasting is to provide an independent and reliable income flow that allows these corporations to attain their public service objects while ensuring they can maintain editorial independence. This is especially important in the context of news and current affairs. Therefore, in reviewing the funding issues, we must ensure that the ability of our public service broadcasters to deliver on their remits and obligations is not undermined through decisions that cause an erosion of their revenue base.