Jim Daly TD has raised the issue
THE Department of Communications, Energy & Natural Resources under Minister Pat Rabbitte is to investigate the availability of the new national digital TV service Saorview in parts of rural West Cork.
Concerns have been raised that the area between Dunmanway and Rosscarbery in particular suffers from very poor reception due to the large number of hills and valleys.
The terrestrial service requires line-of-site to work and there are fears that hundreds of houses in the general Dunmanway, Rosscarbery, Reenascreena, Leap, Timoleague and Skibbereen areas may be affected.
The old analogue service is due to be switched off in October and if the situation is not rectified it could leave thousands of viewers with no signal at all.
Minister Rabbitte has now ordered a review after he was petitioned on the subject by local Fine Gael TD Jim Daly.
If the service cannot be received via a terrestrial service a Saorsat satellite dish would have to be installed costing around €300 which would also be unable to receive some popular stations including TV3 and TG4.
The are many more areas with no signal, Drinagh, Glandore, Union Hall, Castletownsend, Baltimore, Ballydehob, Schull, Goleen, and many coastal areas.
We dont have tv3 or 3e now even withan aerial in goleen