The Director General of RTE, Bob Collins, told the Forum on Broadcasting that Ireland has the lowest level of public funding for broadcasting in Europe.
Addressing the first and only public session of the Forum, Mr Collins said it was vital that this level was raised to the European norm. He also said the licence fee should be index-linked.
Mr Collins was one of a number of speakers to address the Forum this morning.
Earlier, the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland told the Forum that it believes it should become the single content regulator for broadcasting here. The BCI currently regulates the independent sector.
Michael O'Keeffe of the Commission said he believed the setting of the TV licence should remain a function of government.
Eoin Ronayne of the NUJ said the BCI had proved itself to be a light touch regulator and did not have the teeth to become a single regulator.
The Forum on Broadcasting was set up by the former Minister for Arts, Culture and the Gaeltacht, Síle de Valera, to examine the role of public service broadcasting.
Since its establishment three months ago, the Forum has received between 90 and 100 submissions.
The Forum has been given six questions to deliberate upon. These include the question of whether there is a role for public service broadcasting and, if so, how should it be supported. The question of whether there are distinct roles for public and commercial broadcasters is also up for discussion.
Somewhat controversially, the Forum's terms prohibit it from looking specifically at whether RTÉ's current licence fee is adequate or not.
The forum is due to report back to the government by the end of next month. To read more about the Forum, and submissions made to it, go to http://www.forumonbroadcasting.ie/
