Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte has opened a consultation process on the Public Service Broadcasting (PSB) Charge, his proposed "device-independent" replacement for the television licence fee.

The occupiers of eligible households and applicable businesses will be levied for the charge, regardless of whether or not they possess a television set.

“Given the scale of TV licence evasion and the swiftly changing way we experience audiovisual content, it is important to ensure the continued health of public service broadcasting by placing it on a sound financial footing,” the Minister said.

A consultation paper has been published at dcenr.gov.ie/broadcasting, and interested parties are invited to submit comments before a deadline of October 8th.

Mr Rabbitte’s department believes the introduction of the charge will not only reduce the rate of evasion – estimated at 17-20 per cent – but will also rectify anomalies in the current system.

For households, Mr Rabbitte has pledged that the rate of the PSB Charge will not exceed the €160 annual licence fee for households.

The new charge is expected to be implemented from 2015 and will be levied on households when their licence fee falls due for renewal.