Sir, - The important issue is not whether the licence fee should go up by £15 or £50. The real debate concerns the need for sweeping reform of the public broadcaster, which now, more than ever, suffers from a lack of any clear mission. RT╔ is simply the product of decades of governmental inaction, thanks to which purely commercial endeavours such as 2FM or Who Wants to be a Millionaire? have access to public money and resources.
RT╔'s function should be limited to the production of educational, informational and cultural programmes, funded from general tax revenue (as is the case with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) rather than the regressive licence fee system. The commercial aspects of RT╔'s operation can and should be privatised. The proceeds might be spent on ensuring that all citizens have equal access to a high-quality digital infrastructure. - Yours, etc.,
Luke Murphy, Pier 19, Usher's Island, Dublin 8.