Green Party backs digital FTA RTÉ

The Green Party today committed to … ensuring that everybody on the island has access to the full range of ‘free to air’ digital television channels – including those from RTE, BBC and UTV – when the analogue transmission systems are switched off north and south over the next number of years.
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“Broadcasting regulation, like telecoms and energy regulation, is increasingly difficult to achieve without a cross-border approach and cross-border institutions. In government we will work with the Northern Ireland Assembly and the UK authorities to develop an all-island digital ‘free to air’ broadcasting service carrying RTE1, RTE2, TG4, TV3 and the BBC/ITV public service channels from Northern Ireland. People can already pay for this type of service on cable or satellite, but we believe that, in the interest of fostering cultural understanding and development, and as we are still in the design phase of the new digital transmissions systems, these channels should be freely accessibly across the island,” concluded Cllr Dearey.