FIANNA FAIL will "move urgently" to license TV deflector operators if elected to government, according to the party's spokesman on communications, Mr Seamus Brennan.
In a statement on the controversy last night, Mr Brennan said he had discussed a number of options with the licensed MMDS operators and community television representatives.
"It is our view that if the complicated legal and technical difficulties can be resolved, then provision should be made for licensing both systems," he said.
"Fianna Fail is in favour of fair competition in this area and in government will move urgently to resolve the issues. We also believe that there may be new forms of technology available in the near future, which are not currently covered by broadcasting legislation, and which will have to be examined and provided for."
Meanwhile, deflector campaigners in Mayo have welcomed an acknowledgment by the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, that the Government seeks to introduce a "fair licensing system" which would create more competition and grant licences to some deflector operators.
Mr Bruton told the Dail on Wednesday that such a commitment was contained in the Government's Programme. Its implementation would depend on the resolution of complex legal difficulties, which centred on the exclusive contracts granted to MMDS operators by a previous Fianna Fail led administration.
A spokesman for the Mayo deflector groups, Mr Joe Gibbons, described Mr Bruton's statement as "a step forward". He said he was increasingly confident the Government would soon move to license the deflector operators. "We cannot see them going into an election with the screens blank. It would be dynamite," he said.
According to Mr Gibbons, the deflector operators have been flooded with calls from irate viewers who can no longer receive the British channels. "They are hyper over it and they are all saying that they are not voting for the Government while the signals are off the air," he said.
Almost all "the deflector group's in Mayo have now switched off, their equipment, leaving an estimated 90,000 viewers without British channels in most of the county's towns and rural areas. These include Ballyhaunis, Balla, Ballinrobe, Claremorris, Castlebar, Westport, Newport, Clare Island and north Connemara.
Deflector operators remain on air in the north west of the county, in Belmullet, Bangor Erris, Ballycroy and Achill.
In his statement, Mr Brennan called on the Government to publish the Attorney General's advice on the legal options available to its as it moves to defuse the controversy.
He said the Minister for Transport, Communications and Energy, Mr Dukes, should also release a consultants report prepared by EU experts on the issue. The Minister should "stop prevaricating" and reach a decision on a licence application by South Coast Community Television.
In 1995, the High Court ordered the Minister to consider an application from the group, which is based in Carrigaline, Co Cork. Mr Justice Keane found that the Minister had acted unfairly in refusing to examine its case.
Mr Brennan said Fianna Fail would ensure "that there is a guarantee that every household, both urban and rural, will have access to multi channel services and that this service be available at a reasonable and uniform price throughout the State.
"We do not believe people should be discriminated against on the basis of their geographic location and we will appoint an independent controller to ensure this. The controller will have a brief to ensure that no cartels develop and that universal service is delivered," he said.