A Welsh-language campaigner
who is calling for broadcasting powers to be devolved to Wales has been given a six-month conditional discharge after she refused to pay her TV
licence fee.
Heledd Gwyndaf, of
Blaenglowon Fach, Talgarreg, is the first member of Cymdeithas yr Iaith
to appear before a court as part of the society’s campaign that it says
would lead to a significant increase in Welsh-language content on TV,
radio and online.
She addressed District Judge Gwyn Jones calling for broadcasting powers to be devolved to Wales as part of the case.Cymdeithas has said that a new tax levied on companies such as Netflix, Facebook and YouTube could raise money that would help fund a £250m yearly budget for Welsh-language content and would enable the creation of three new Welsh radio stations and three TV channels with powers devolved to Wales.
Gwyndaf, 38, who is a mother-of-three, was given a six-month conditional discharge and ordered to pay costs of £170 after appearing at Aberystwyth Magistrates Court.
Speaking after the case said she had taken the step of refusing to pay the licence fee to back the Cymdeithas proposal.
She said: “I’d like to thank everyone who is taking part in this campaign, especially those boycotting the TV licence.
“This battle is a battle for our language, our Welsh democracy and for our freedom as a nation.
“Despite all the developments in the media and digital since S4C, there’s still only one full Welsh-language TV channel, and little Welsh content online.
“And on top of this, the London-based media is a massive threat to our democracy by failing to discuss Welsh issues and misleading people by referring to education and health issues when they’re England-only - we in Wales don’t have a clue who’s responsible for what. How is this democratic?
“Cymdeithas yr Iaith has another offer for the people of Wales: more Welsh language and Welsh broadcasters.
“It would also empower people to create countless Welsh-language online content for every age group and fund it by taxing companies like Netflix, YouTube and Facebook.
“The first step towards this will be the devolution of regulation, so that Ofcom doesn’t tell us what should be important to us as a nation, after all they don’t have a clue.
“They don’t serve the people of Wales or even pretend to do that.”
