Vol. 396 No. 3
15 Mr. Byrne asked the Minister for Communications the total number of licences issued to date for the operation of the MMDS system; the number of further licences which will be issued; when they will be issued; the proposed charges that have been agreed by him; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I have awarded nine franchises for MMDS which cover all the country apart from Counties Donegal and Sligo. Licence fees have been received in respect of all the franchises which have been awarded and my Department are at present drawing up the licence documents. Work is progressing in all the areas where franchises have been awarded. I understand from the operators that equipment has been tested and ordered, sites are being obtained, planning permission sought — and in some cases obtained — and staff are being recruited. In short, the work associated with getting a national retransmission system off the ground is proceeding, and I expect services to begin to come on stream during the spring.
With regard to Counties Sligo and Donegal, I am considering this area as one franchise and I expect to be making a decision on the award of this franchise very soon.
Charges are a matter for MMDS operators primarily and they do not need my approval. However, I do have the power to order an investigation into the charges of any operator and if warranted to direct a refund or rebate to subscribers. As I have said before I expect charges to be in the region of £100 for installation and £100 annual rental.
Will the Minister have regard to the fact that the system, once in place, will not carry RTE 1 and Network 2? Will that be borne in mind when the fees are fixed? Will the Minister comment on reports to the effect that the charges, because of the complexity of providing the service in hilly and other geographically uncertain areas, will be greater than the estimated £100?
As I have indicated I expect the charges to be in the region of £100 for installation and £100 annual rental and the operators are aware of that. I have power to investigate the charges of any operator and if he or she is seen to be overcharging to direct a refund or a rebate to subscribers.
