Vol. 439 No. 1
12 Mr. Deasy asked the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications if his attention has been drawn to the deterioration of the quality of reception of RTE 1 and Network 2 in parts of west Waterford; and if this interference is in any way connected with the installation or operation of the MMDS system.
The quality of RTE's signal reception is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, and I cannot speculate as to the likely cause of any interference.
With all due respect to the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, I always thought he was a spacer but I did not think he was responsible for terrestrial signals and so on. I am talking about communications. Surely this Minister is responsible in the event of interference with service.
We are talking about the RTE signal and the Minister with responsibility for RTE is the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. However, I will be as helpful as possible. In the clear anticipation that my reply would be regarded as inadequate, even though I am not responsible for this area, I requested an extra note on the matter.
If the quality of MMDS transmissions was at issue I would have a function in the matter since I am the promoter and regulator of the MMDS scheme and its overall quality as a service is a matter of concern to me. However, the question relates to RTE 1 and Network 2 reception. Investigation of alleged interference is a matter for RTE in the first instance and that is why it has been handed to the Departments of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. That Department acknowledges its role and is competent to say whether there is interference and where the likely source is. We are not aware of any such reception problems and therefore cannot speculate on their origin. The Department would become involved if such interference was established by RTE and if it was shown furthermore that a misuse of the frequency spectrum was involved. I can be of no more help to the Deputy. If he puts down the question to the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht he will receive a more detailed reply.
I accept the Minister's goodwill in this matter. If the question should have been tabled to the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, why was I not told and why was it not transferred? What the Minister is saying is not logical. There has been interference in reception of RTE 1 and Network 2 and in the operation of videos in this locality since the change-over from the cable system to the MMDS system, which was carried out by Cork Communications. I find it very difficult to believe that the Minister is not aware of the local anger at the interference in reception. Surely complaints have been made to his Department in this regard.
There is no record of complaints in my Department, but I will clear up the matter for the Deputy this afternoon.
I would appreciate that.
Would the Minister accept that this problem is not confined to west Waterford, that it is experienced in many other parts of the country? Complaints made to me show that interference coincided with the introduction of the MMDS service. Would the Minister not accept that since he is responsible for the introduction and quality of the MMDS service, in the event that that service is interfering with the RTE reception he should have the matter fully investigated to ensure that people received unrestricted RTE service.
I pointed out that I am not aware of any such problem. Until such time as it is established that there is a problem and that it arises as a result of a signal given by me to RTE, I am not in a position to investigate the matter. I know the Deputy's preferred choice in the matter of legal and illegal retransmission systems, but I assure him that the MMDS system——
Many people in Offaly want it too.
——operates quite well in my constituency and there are no such problems there with RTE 1 and Network 2.
Will the Minister indicate what progress has been made to date on the extension of this service to other parts of the country, more specifically, to County Donegal where it is proposed to be introduced some time in the future?
There is a more general question on this matter in the name of Deputy O'Keeffe. As a result of a number of technical and other examinations of this matter, I found that this was the only system available to us for the purposes of providing a nationwide multi-channel system within available frequencies under international treaties. It is proposed to introduce the system in Donegal, west Cork and other areas. Illegal retransmission systems are in operation which provide a service in their localities but they do not provide the prospect of a nationwide service. Because the systems are illegal and use frequencies required for the proper development of the Irish broadcasting service, it is not a tenable argument that they should continue. The implementation of the MMDS system throughout the country is a priority for the Department.
I appreciate that the Minister may not be aware of the problems in west Waterford but I assure him that since the introduction of the MMDS transmitters a problem has arisen with the RTE signal in the area. What ongoing scrutiny is the Department undertaking of the various licensed companies? Cork Communications has, to say the least, a very cavalier attitude to planning permissions and to their operation of the entire service. People who wish to make complaints about the service cannot get through to the company; the only reply is by way of answering machine. It is not surprising that this service interferes with the RTE signal. What plans has the Department to monitor on an ongoing basis the operation of this service?
The difficulty is that it has not been established that an MMDS signal is responsible for interference in the RTE 1 and Network 2 service in west Waterford.
The problem arose when the MMDS system was introduced.
No such problem has arisen in other parts of the country where the system was introduced. I am not in a position to comment on this matter, nor am I technically qualified to do so. However, I will clear up the matter with my colleague and get a proper reply for Deputy Deasy this afternoon or tomorrow.
I appreciate what the Minister has said about clearing up the matter with his colleague, the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht. In view of the fact that this difficulty has arisen, will the Minister say where is the demarcation in responsibility of the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications and the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht with regard to the provision of a television service? It is my understanding that the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht is responsible for the broadcasting aspect while the Minister present is responsible for the technical aspect. Will the Minister clarify that point? The same problem has arisen in Dublin where responsibility for Cablelink seems to be falling between two stools.
The Department of Transport, Energy and Communications is the regulatory body in charge of the allocation of frequencies. All other matters pertaining to RTE are the responsibility of the Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht.
There have been problems with interference in the RTE channels in my constitutency since the installation of the MMDS system. Has there been a breakdown in communications between RTE, the Department of Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht and the Minister's Department regarding interference with the signal? I am surprised that the Minister's Department was not aware of the problem as my constituents have written to him about it.
I wrote to the Minister and he should be aware of the problem.
I always keep the Deputy's letters in a separate file, and I should have recalled his letter——
Did the Minister get my Valentine card?
I did, and it was greatly appreciated given the trauma the Deputy was experiencing at the time.
Not me.
We could keep going around the trees, so to speak, on this matter. The information will be made available to the Deputies; it is a simple matter of sorting it out.
Will the Minister also look at the position in Kinsale in my constituency where the community television station did not give rise to any problems with the RTE signal but where many complaints were made as soon as the MMDS system was installed? Will he accept that as fairly strong evidence of interference by the MMDS system?
I will not, and I will have more to say in this regard when I reply to the Deputy's question.
