Plans to regulate satellite broadcasters

The Government will try to persuade EU member-states to support its plan to introduce powers to regulate satellite broadcasters, the Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, said yesterday.

The Minister is proposing to use the Republic's presidency of the EU from January 2004 to amend the Television Without Frontiers Directive, a set of rules that govern broadcasters in Europe. Mr Ahern said yesterday that one of his key initiatives during the State's presidency would be to bring in powers to regulate satellite broadcasters that provide television services specifically targeted at Irish viewers.

Under existing rules, satellite broadcasters are regulated in the state in which they locate their headquarters rather than the states into which they beam their television services. This has enabled BSkyB to avoid regulation in the Republic, despite the fact that it supplies 286,000 homes with a Sky satellite television service.

Cable television operators - regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation in the Republic - complain of an uneven playing field in Ireland.

Under the proposals, satellite broadcasters would come under the jurisdiction of states into which they provide targeted television channels that are meant for reception only in that state. The proposals are in a submission to the European Commission on the review of the Television Without Frontiers Directive, which is currently under way.