Part 5: Regulation of radio services Section 46: Licensing of non-UK digital sound programme services
This section amends section 245 of the CA 2003, which specifies the radio services which fall to be regulated by OFCOM.
	Subsection (2) amends section 245 to provide that a digital radio service provided from a qualifying country (as specified by the Secretary of State by regulations) and broadcast by means of a local or small-scale radio multiplex service also falls to be regulated by OFCOM. The Secretary of State intends to specify Ireland as a qualifying country with the effect that Raidió Teilifís Éireann (the Irish national broadcaster) and other Irish commercial and community radio station operators can apply for digital licences for their radio services and ultimately for those services to be broadcast in the United Kingdom .
	Subsection (3) amends section 245 to confer on the Secretary of State the power to amend, by regulations, the provisions dealing with restrictions on who may hold a broadcasting licence (Schedule 2 to the BA 1990). Such changes may be needed to update the existing restrictions to reflect the fact that the service is based outside the UK.