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On 14th March 2001, the Broadcasting Act 2001 (No 4 of 2001) became law. The Act does three major things - it (most importantly) allows the introduction of DTT, makes provision for the reform of the broadcasting bodies, and allows the new BCI to introduce new commercial television services.

Chronology:
1996: Broadcasting Act (UK), 1996 introduces DTT in UK.
1997: Green Paper on Broadcasting - Rainbow Gov - creation of new Broadcasting Commission announced..
1998 Government publishes White Paper recommending introduction of DTT, to be run by 40%
RTE subsidary Digico Limited. SkyDigital begins Dsat transmissions to ROI in December.
May 1999 Broadcasting Bill, 1999 published.
Autumn 1999 First and second readings of Bill taken in Dail.
February 2000 Committee stage of Bill begins. Minister Sile deValera announces major changes to Bill. Committee stage suspended at end of month,
June 2000 Major changes revealed in detail. Now seperate transmisison and mux companies will be established.
November 2000 Committee stage and Third Reading of bill taken.
February 2001 Senate discusses and passes all stages of Broadcasting Bill 1999.
March 2001 Broadcasting Act, 2001 becomes law.
August 2001 Government announces competition for DTT operator. RTE puts network up for sale.
September 2001 Broadcasting Act 2001 (Commencement) Order 2001 is made, bringing most of the Act into force, save the provisions regarding Telefis na Gaelige, which will be held over until RTE and TG4 agree that they are ready to seperate. The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland is established

Probable Future Chronology:
October 2001 DTT operator appointed. Legal challenge?
January 2002 RTE News 24 is launched.
Summer 2002 Telifis na Gaelige established as an independent Corporation. DTT operator announces launch date.
October 2002 Digital Terrestrial Television is fully launched. RTE and TG4 launch new services.

The changes.

Digital Terrestrial Television is established. The Minister for Culture will appoint a private company to be the Commercial Multiplex Operator - the "public face" of DTT in Ireland. The bill guarentees space for RTE (1 mux), TV3 and TG4 (1/2 mux each). It also allows for space, at the request of the Minister, to be given to BBC Northern Ireland and UTV (1 mux). However it also provides that should any of these companies decline to take up their space, the Commerical Multiplex Operator can reclaim it for pay-TV services. A new Transmission Company, up to 72% privately owned, will be set up which will run the DTT, analogue television, Today FM, and ILR transmitter networks. Neither company is given exclusive priviges under the Act - leaving open the possiblity of more muxes (or deflector operators) being licenced after analogue switch-off.

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland is established to replace the IRTC. The BCI will have improved powers to regulate television in Ireland. The IRTC can only licence one analogue TV station, however the BCI is given much more extensive powers regarding TV. It will licence commercial digital, cable, MMDS, and satellite stations as well as having to power to licence community broadcasters. However what might not be so good is the powers given to the BCI over EPGs - it has the power to direct that DTT, cable, and MMDS operators use the same EPG software and to advertise for a contract to provide an EPG. This might not always be good - an external EPG provider would no doubt want ads on the EPG and promotion of their own channels. Furthermore you now have to have a licence to provide an EPG (does this mean Sky and practically every teletext provider will have to be licenced?) Its main analogue commercial TV contractor (TV3) will have half a mux on DTT and must-carry status for all its FTA channels on DCab and DMMDS. Commercial broadcasters' licence payments (the levy) are abolished (except for satellite TV - presumably an attempt to get some money out of Sky) - the BCI will be funded out of general taxation - and a fund will be set up for community broadcasting.

The Radio Telefis Eireann Authority will continue in existence, but it will lose its transmission responsiblities to the Transmission Company (which it will have a 28% stake in) - becoming soley a content provider. Its gets a Public Service Remit - "provide a comprehensive range of programmes in the Irish and English languages that reflect the cultural diversity of the whole island of Ireland and include, both on television and radio programmes that entertain, inform and educate, provide coverage of sporting, religious and cultural activities and cater for the expectations of the community generally as well as members of the community with special or minority interests and which, in every case, respect human dignity," The Minister for Culture can order RTE to broadcast certain types of programmes as FTA services. RTE CEL can establish seperate services as joint ventures with commercial companies, these can be Pay-TV and broadcast on non-RTE muxes. RTE will lose responsiblity for TG4 to the new Telefis na Gaelige Corporation, but is still obliged to provide news and other programmes for it.

A new broadcasting corporation Telefis na Gaelige is established to take over the running of TG4. A Public Service Remit will apply to TnaG with the exception that its progammes must be in Irish at peak time, and it should externally commission programmes (TG4 still produces nothing itself - Channel 4 model). It will also have special responsiblity for Parliamentary Broadcasting. It will have half a mux on DTT.

The Broadcasting Complaints Commission will continue in existence, funded by the BCI.