Independent Broadcasting Authority [No. 17 of 2002 347 (b) a commercial broadcasting service; (c) a community and religious broadcasting service; or (d) a subscription broadcasting service. (5) The Minister may, in consultation with the Authority, by Statutory instrument, exempt any person, institution or organisation from any of the provisions of this section. 20. (1) The Authority shall, if it determines that there is need for the provision of additional broadcasting services, publish a notice in the Gazette and in a national newspaper inviting applications for licences to provide the broadcasting service specified in the notice. Application for licence (2) Notwithstanding subsection (1) and subject to the provisions of this Act, an application for a broadcasting service licence shall be submitted to the Authority in the prescribed form and manner and shall be accompanied by the prescribed fee and such information or documents as may be prescribed or as the Authority may require. (3) The Authority shall examine all applications submitted under subsection (2) with a view to short-listing those applicants who, in its opinion, may qualify to be licensed. (4) Every applicant short-listed in terms of subsection (3) shall be required to attend a public inquiry conducted by the Authority for the purposes of determining the applicant's suitability to be licensed at a time and place to be determined in a written notice to such applicant. (5) The Authority may refuse to consider an application, upon receiving satisfactory proof of service of the notice referred to in subsection (4), if the applicant fails to attend the inquiry. (6) After considering an application for a licence in terms of this section, the Authority may issue or refuse to issue a broadcasting licence to the applicant and shall notify the applicant in writing of the decision and in the case of a refusal to issue a licence, of the reasons for the refusal. (7) The Authority shall, from time to time, conduct a public inquiry to determine priorities within the broadcasting industry. 21. (1) A commercial broadcasting licence may be granted by the Authority to — (a) provide a diverse range of programming addressing a wide section of the Republic; (b) provide programming in the official language or in any other local language of the Republic widely spoken in the Republic or any particular area; and Commercial Broadcasting Services