asked the Minister for Posts and Telegraphs the control he exercises over the quality of cablevision reception in Waterford city; if he is aware of the fluctuating quality of reception there; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Waterford City Television Reception.
7.
The licences issued by my Department require cable television operators to ensure that their systems meet certain technical standards laid down under the Wireless Telegraphy (Wired Broadcast Relay Licence) Regulations, 1974. Reception from a cable television system depends primarily on the strength and consistency of the signals available at the masthead and, secondly, on the efficient relay of these signals to subscribers. My Department have, of course, no control over the quality of the BBC and IBA signals available off-air at any cable television masthead.
My Department have received no complaints about the quality of cable television reception in Waterford city and have no reason to believe that the company operating the cable television system there are not complying with the technical conditions attached to their licence.
When the question of granting an exclusive licence for the provision of cable television service in Waterford was under consideration my Department had serious doubts about the reliability of the available BBC and IBA off-air signals there. The following is an extract from a Press statement which my Department issued through the Government Information Services on 11th June, 1974, on the matter:
The Department cannot guarantee that reception of the signals from British TV stations will be sufficiently reliable to provide a satisfactory multi-channel cable television service in Waterford. Nevertheless, because of the strongly expressed wish of the local community that a cable television service should be established, the Minister is prepared to grant the necessary licence.