The Broadcasting Commission of Ireland last night questioned the impartiality of an Oireachtas committee after it endorsed a report criticising the regime for awarding local radio licences.
The commission, which polices independent broadcasting, said it had not been consulted during a review of the regime that led the committee to call for wide-ranging reform of the system.
The review was conducted by Labour senator Ms Kathleen O'Meara, who highlighted concern in the industry about decision-making at the commission.
A number of recent BCI licensing decisions sparked controversy when certain long-established stations lost their licences to new consortiums in a redrawing of franchise boundaries.
For example, the failure to renew the franchise of Radio Kilkenny is now the subject of a judicial review in the High Court.
Ms O'Meara was engaged as a rapporteur for the Joint Oireachtas Committee for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources last October. She said in her report that most radio stations had confidence in the commission but added that there were a number of exceptions to this.
The report said: "Concerns have emerged about the transparency of the decision-making process in awarding a franchise, the level of accountability for that decision and the absence of an appeal mechanism, in particular given the power of the Broadcasting Commission of Ireland to withdraw a franchise and close down a franchise."
The committee endorsed the nine recommendations in the report, among them the adoption of an appeal mechanism.
Other recommendations include a call for the cost of applications to be examined and for the automatic roll-over of licences to be considered. It also called for greater transparency of licensing decisions.
The committee's findings emerge two days after the Minister for Communications, Mr Ahern, said that he was considering reform of the regime. Mr Ahern's spokesman said the timing of his initiative was "purely coincidental" with the outcome of the committee's review.
While the committee's report will not be formally published until this morning, the BCI issued a statement last night questioning the basis of the findings.
The chairman of the committee, Mr Noel O'Flynn, said members of the BCI were entitled to their views but he believed their criticism was premature.
"The committee planned to speak to the BCI within weeks, he said. It had decided against an earlier meeting because a judicial review of one of its licensing decision was ongoing."
