Minister announces move to regulate satellite broadcasters

Dermot Ahern TD, Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, today announced that Ireland is to press at EU level for new powers to regulate satellite broadcasters who provide television services specifically targeted at Irish viewers.

The Minister today briefed representatives of RTE, TV3 and TG4 about his move to regulate satellite broadcasters such as BSkyB.

Under proposals put forward by the Minister, satellite broadcasters currently not subject to regulation in countries outside their broadcasting headquarters would come under the jurisdiction of Member States into which they provide targeted television channels that are meant for reception only in that Member State.

The Irish proposals are contained in its submission to the EU Commission on the Review of the Television Without Frontiers Directive which is currently underway.

Minister Ahern has pledged to press for a fundamental review of the Directive during Ireland's Presidency of the EU which commences in January.

Minister Ahern said: "We need a level playing field in the area of transfrontier broadcasting. It is simply not on that satellite broadcasters who provide television services specifically for viewers in a particular Member State are not subject to regulation in that Member State.

"In the Irish context we need to be able to ensure that Irish broadcasting standards are applied to television channels intended for reception in Ireland only.

"The Television Without Frontiers Directive is a very worthy piece of EU legislation which enabled me to unravel the FAI/Sky soccer deal. But it needs to be amended to keep pace with changes in the European broadcasting environment."