It was signed into law on 12 July 2009, although the provisions relating to the establishment of the new Broadcasting Authority of Ireland did not come into force until a Statutory Instrument was made giving them effect on 30 September 2009.
Television and radio stations face fines of up to €250,000 if they infringe codes of conduct or licence requirements under the Act's stricter enforcement mechanism.
The Act introduced several proposals to protect the interests of viewers and listeners including a "right to reply" procedure where individuals whose reputation has been damaged may have this corrected in a further broadcast within 15 days.
This is very similar to remedies available relating to the print-media sector although there the procedures under the Broadcasting Act differ as there is no ombudsman and the complaint is dealt with the Compliance Committee of the BAI.
Television licence fee evaders currently face significantly heavier fines but still get a last chance to avoid a court appearance.
[7] It deals with Irish Analogue broadcasting systems and the amendment of legislation on Digital Terrestrial Television dating back to 2001.