The leader of the Labour Party, Mr Ruairi Quinn, has suggested that RTE's practice of allowing political broadcasts on referendum issues might be abandoned.
Following last week's High Court judgment, which ruled in favour of a "balanced air-time" between the opposing sides, Mr Quinn said the Referendum Commission could fulfil the function of political broadcasts.
"The idea of up to 20 separate broadcasts having to be made just to accommodate political parties and interest groups within the fairness criteria is, I believe, in nobody's interest. More than likely it will add to the confusion about the issues and turn the public off the campaign.
"There is now a strong argument that the use of referendum broadcasts be confined to the imparting of information by the body charged with that task, the Referendum Commission," he said.