Fine Gael & Labour Manifestos - Broadcasting, Regulation and TV Licence

The Cush

As the two parties are about to sit down and trash out a deal to form a new government, what are their policies in relation to broadcasting and related issues as laid out in their manifestos. No big differences that I can see.

Fine Gael

Competition, Consumer and Utilities Commission: To save taxpayers’ money and to streamline resources, Fine Gael will merge the Competition Authority, the National Consumer Agency (NCA), Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI), the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) and the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) into a single, more powerful Competition, Consumer and Utilities Commission. We will seek to empower this new over-arching regulator and consumer champion to enforce our Fair Trade Act.
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10.5 Broadcasting

TV Licence: We will change the TV Licence into a household-based Public Broadcasting Charge applied to all households and applicable businesses regardless of the device they use to access content. We will look a new ways of collection including the possibility of paying in instalments through another utility bill (electricity or telecom), collection by local authorities, the Revenue or a new contract with An Post. This will reduce the cost of collection and widespread evasion and could yield a further €20m per annum. TG4 will be funded from the charge by 2014.

Independent Broadcasting: We will increase the broadcasting fund from 7% to 15% over five years and will encourage more production companies and independent TV and Radio networks to bid for funding.

Broadcast Levy: The Broadcast Levy imposed on television and radio stations to cover the costs of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) will be reduced as a consequence of the savings that will be made from the merger of the BAI and ComReg under the umbrella of a new Competition, Consumer and Utilities Commission.

Digital Broadcasting: Fine Gael will ensure that digital switchover happens on time and that a vigorous public information campaign is carried out. We will strengthen the powers of BAI (or its successor) to facilitate an agreement on a commercial multiplex.

Free to Air: We will maintain the current regime with regard to the Heineken Cup.

Labour

Labour is proposing a series of amalgamations of quangos relating to utilities regulation, equality, industrial development and broadcasting that will both save money and achieve greater policy coherence.

Maintaining public service broadcasting

Labour supports and values public service broadcasting, which has always been a fundamental cornerstone of the Irish broadcasting system. It promotes diversity, social and cultural values that are essential to a properly functioning democracy. Labour will uphold these values as Ireland makes the transition to digital television and radio, ensuring that access to, and the quality of public service broadcasting, are protected.

Labour will examine the role, and the collection of, the TV license fee in light of existing and projected convergence of broadcasting technologies.

Regulating for the future of broadcasting

Telecommunications regulatory and licensing matters are currently handled by ComReg, whereas broadcasting regulation and licenses will be the responsibility of the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. Given the convergence of technology in this sector – i.e. video on demand, mobile broadband – we will merge the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland and ComReg to form one regulatory body.

This new pan-regulatory body will also have responsibility for protecting consumers from ‘rip off’ charges and for Quality Assurance.

Irish language broadcasting and the arts

When last in government, the Labour Party established TG4. We will continue to support the Irish language broadcasting sector. The Irish language is a key part of our artistic tradition, and this will also be supported by Labour in government.

The FG TV licence (aka Public Broadcasting Charge) policy could be a problem for RTÉ

FG proposals for broadcasting sector could cost RTE €40 million a year
20 February 2011 By Pat Leahy Political Editor

Proposals to change the funding arrangements for the broadcasting sector in the Fine Gael manifesto could cost RTE up to €40 million a year.

Fine Gael proposes that Irish language station TG4 should be funded directly from the licence fee, rather than by the exchequer and RTE.

The exchequer grant is currently about €34 million, of which €10 million in cash already comes from RTE.

Taking TG4’s funding from the licence fee pot would reduce RTE’s €185 million share of the licence fee income by some €24 million.

In addition, the Fine Gael manifesto proposes that the broadcasting fund be increased from 7 per cent of the licence fee to 15 per cent - amounting to a further €15 million hit for RTE.

Fine Gael has insisted that it Will make savings by reforming the way the licence fee is collected and cracking down on non-payment. It has also said that it will change the licence fee to a public broadcasting charge.

There is widespread alarm in RTE at the proposals. The station has seen a huge drop in commercial revenue in recent years, slashing its budget from €440million annually to about €370 million.

Most of these reductions have been offset by a programme of cost savings, including wage cuts, but there would be little chance of absorbing a further hit without divesting itself of some assets, cutting staff numbers or reducing services.

http://www.thepost.ie/archives/2011/0220/fg-proposals-for-broadcasting-sector-could-cost-rte-euro40-million-a-year-54662.html

Elmo

I love FG stance on FTA

We will maintain the current regime with regard to the Heineken Cup.

I am hoping that there is more in relation to FTA than just that!

15% for the sound and vision fund is too much, IMO.

The 4 year plan reduced TG4 exchequer funding and gave some direct funding from the licence fee to TG4.

I think pat has his figures wrong. TG4 had 34million in 2009 it was reduce down in 2010 to 32million and the 4 year plan would see it reduced back to 2006 levels to 22million but the difference would be made up from the licence fee. RTÉ give a suggestion that the spend 10million on programming for TG4 however I beleive it is evenly divided between RTÉ One and TG4 meaning RTÉ spend 5million on TG4 and give TG4 repeat showing for things like Leargas and Scannal.

Apogee

A mishmash of both manifestos:

FG/Lab Programme for Government wrote:

We will examine the role, and collection of, the TV license fee in light of existing and projected convergence of broadcasting technologies, transform the TV licence into a household-based Public Broadcasting Charge applied to all households and applicable businesses, regardless of the device they use to access content and review new ways of TV licence collection, including the possibility of paying in instalments through another utility bill (electricity or telecom), collection by local authorities, Revenue or new contract with An Post.

We will review the funding of public and independent broadcasters to ensure a healthy broadcasting environment in Ireland.

We will maintain the current regime with regard to the Heineken Cup.

The Cush

Government for National Recovery 2011 - 2016

Sale of State Assets

Over time, we also propose to finance the investment programme from the sale of certain state assets.

We will target up to €2 billion in sales of non-strategic state assets drawing from the recommendations of the McCarthy Review Group on State Assets when available.

Assets will only be sold when market conditions are right and when adequate regulatory structures have been established to protect consumer interests.

RTÉNL - strategic or non-strategic state asset? DTTN/Netco resurrected?

Also on Colm McCarthy's interim list RTÉ, TG4, radio spectrum allocated for broadcasting and telecommunications.

watty

Strategic
RTE NL, ESB Networks, eNet (MANs), NRA ducts, HEAnet, Garda Masts

All Radio Spectrum (no private company own any, they only have licences)


Privately owned Strategic
Threefold (masts),
Eircom's street cabinet and Rural cabnet sites, ducts and Poles, but not Exchanges.
Any masts (not same as base stations) owned by O2, Three, Vodafone, Meteor/Eircom
Eircom tetra masts (should have been state owned network)

Fibre
BT/Esat-CIE, Global Crossing, Digiweb, Magnet, UPC, eircom

Microwave Backhaul
BT, eircom, Digiweb

Coax
UPC