About Us

This page details the key activities and functions of the BCI.

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland (BCI) is an independent statutory body responsible for a number of key areas of activity with regard to television and radio services in Ireland. The role and functions of the BCI are set out in a range of provisions contained in the Radio and Television Act, 1988, the Broadcasting Act, 2001 and the Broadcasting (Funding) Act, 2003.

The functions of the Commission under the 1988 Act can generally be described as licensing, monitoring and developmental work.

The Broadcasting Act, 2001 increased the Commission's licensing function and also provided an additional role in relation to the development of codes and rules for broadcasters. The legislation also included the provision of a secretariat to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission (BCC). Further details on the BCC can be found on their website, www.bcc.ie .  

The Broadcasting (Funding) Act, 2003 gives the Commission responsibility for the disbursement of 5% of the licence fee to support new television and radio programmes . 

Mission

The BCI will stimulate the development of an excellent indigenous broadcast industry that meets the diverse entertainment, education and information needs of the people of Ireland, while making effective use of a national resource. 

 

Vision 2013

Irish listeners and viewers will enjoy quality and choice in indigenous broadcast services through the BCI’s exercise of its role as the single content regulator in Ireland.  Irish people will choose to listen to and view Irish services because of their content, relevance and ‘in-tuneness’ with the Irish public’s needs.  The broadcasting sector will produce programming which will be relevant to the audiences that it serves and this relevance will be determined by geographical area, age, race, musical, language and other interest categories. 

 

The broadcasting sector will be more compliant having adopted desired values and standards.  The BCI will be recognised internationally as a leader in the area of broadcast standards.  It will be recognised as the leading source of information and understanding on broadcasting in Ireland.  It will balance regulating and developing the sector recognising differing models of financial viability, diversity of programming and service supply e.g. public service, commercial and voluntary. 

 

The Commission’s staff will enjoy a challenging and developmental environment in which their talents are harnessed towards the goal of developing and regulating a unique and vibrant broadcast industry.  The BCI and its staff will be seen to have played a key role in the development of a dynamic and successful broadcasting sector in Ireland.

 

Values

Openness & Transparency – to establish and implement processes for all its activities which are clear, simple to understand and open to scrutiny by all stakeholders.

 

Fairness – to be fair and reasonable in its practices, processes and procedures in its various roles as a regulator, as an employer and a representative of the public interest.

 

Consistency & Flexibility – to be consistent in the application of its practices, to ensure a degree of certainty for listeners, viewers and broadcasters, to be flexible enough to respond to market conditions and the needs and interests of audiences.

 

People – to value people within the organisation and their ability to deliver the best possible standards of service delivery to our stakeholders.

 

Quality – to ensure that quality is an integral part of the way the BCI works.

 

Innovation – to have the hunger to try new things, new ways of doing old things and the willingness and courage to experiment.

 

Excellence – to set high standards and aspire towards them.

 

Efficiency & Effectiveness – to continue to do things right and to do the right thing.

 

Respected – to be respected and to expect criticism as being important.

 

Loyalty – to respect the organisation, its policies and objectives and the implementation of all decisions.

Functions of the Commission

The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland is responsible for a number of key areas of activity with regard to television and radio services in Ireland, further to the provisions of the Radio and Television Act, 1988; the Broadcasting Act, 2001 and the Broadcasting (Funding) Act, 2003.  They include;

 

Licensing

The Commission licenses independent broadcasting services aiming to provide listener choice and diversity.  This includes the licensing of a national television programme service (TV3), a national radio service (Today FM), a quasi-national radio service (Newstalk) and a total of 58 regional, local, community, community of interest and institutional radio services.  The Commission is also responsible for the licensing of additional television services on digital, cable-MMD and satellite.  In 2006, a total of 12 television and radio content contracts have been signed on these systems.

 

Monitoring

The Commission monitors all of its licensed services to ensure that license holders comply with their statutory obligations as well as the terms of their contracts.  Monitoring includes;

 

Codes & Rules

The Commission is responsible for the development, implementation and monitoring of Codes and Rules in relation to programming and advertising standards.  These Codes apply to all broadcasters, both public and private. 

 

Development

The Commission provides support for training and development initiatives, in an effort to promote a culture of excellence in the independent broadcasting sector. 

 

Research

The Commission undertakes, commissions and manages strategic research to assist the development of broadcast policy in Ireland in the context of technological change, changes in EU legislation, new programming formats and international trends and experiences.  This work aims to ensure informed, evidence-based decision-making across all areas of work, support policy development and to develop the Commission as a leading source of information and understanding of the broadcasting sector in Ireland.

 

Information

Through its information function, the BCI disseminates information and responds daily to queries from those working in the industry, the media, other relevant stakeholder groups and the general public.  The Commission also publishes and disseminates information on its work and developments in the sector on a regular basis.    

 

The Broadcasting Funding Scheme

The Commission is responsible for the development and administration of the Sound & Vision funding scheme, which supports new television and radio programmes in the areas of Irish culture, heritage and experience, adult literacy and such programmes in the Irish language.  The Commission is also responsible for undertaking research towards the development of a system for the archiving of programme material.