THE South East Community Deflector Association is to seek legal advice concerning a possible appeal against an injunction which has closed the deflector television service. The association is also considering putting up a candidate in the general election.
The South Eastern Community Deflector Association in Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford, supplies British television channels to about 1,000 homes in Waterford and south Tipperary. It will be switched off today following the granting in the High Court yesterday of an injunction to two MMDS television companies which hold the licence to transmit multi-channel television to the area.
Mr Billy Kirwan, a founding member of the association, said the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, had promised to legalise deflector systems. "The people here are angry. When they are not able to watch the European Cup semi-final tonight, they will know who to blame," he said.
Television deflector systems are becoming a major political issue in rural Ireland and could cause an upset in the election. Mr Tom Gildea will stand on the issue in Donegal South-West.
Meanwhile, community television deflector groups in Mayo and Galway have not ruled out the possibility of running general election candidates. Deflector systems in both counties were switched off a few weeks ago, following threats of legal action by the MMDS services which hold the licences to broadcast BBC and ITV programmes to those areas.
The systems have been switched on again, but it is believed they will be switched off when an election is called, to put maximum pressure on politicians.
Last month the Cable Communications Association of Ireland, representing the groups licensed to provide cable and MMDS television, announced it was going to court to block illegal operators unless the Government closed them down.
A report prepared for the association said there were up to 100 illegal deflector services operating which cost the Government £1.2 million a year in lost revenue. Up to 150,000 homes receive multi-channel television from unlicensed deflector systems.
The Government is considering a report from the European Broadcasting Union on South Coast Community Television in Carrigaline, Co Cork, which is seeking to legalise its service.
The Cork group was the subject of a High Court action which ruled that the service should be allowed to seek a licence. The Minister for Communications is considering the application.