The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland has criticised an Oireachtas Committee for compiling a report on local and community radio without consulting it.
The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources is to publish a report today on the radio licensing process. The recommendations in the report are based on a survey of licensed independent local radio stations in the country, to which 64% responded.
It comes almost a year after a number of stations failed to have their licences renewed by the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, the BCI.
The BCI says it was not consulted about the compilation of the report and that its impartiality is to be questioned seriously because of this.
The BCI also says it fails to understand how any meaningful conclusions could be reached without any reference to it, considering it is in charge of the licencing process.
But the compiler of the Joint Oireachtas Committee report says the BCI did not appear to have the time to make a submission to the Committee.
