100% Broadband Availability for ROI? ;-)

govinda

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2006/09/21/story277767.html

"Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Noel Dempsey has announced that broadband is to be made available to the last 15% to 20% of the population where it is currently uneconomic to do so."

Very little detail in the rest of the article as to how this is to be achieved; I wonder is this the Eircom subsidy discussed here a while ago? :rolleyes:

EDIT: More information in the full text of the Ministers speech at:
http://www.dcmnr.gov.ie/Corporate+Units/Virtual+Press+Room/Speeches/Speech+at+Facilitating+Broadband+Leadership+Conference.htm

"Today I am initiating a process that will address the so called last 15% issue to deliver nationwide broadband. Which will mean that every reasonable request for broadband can be met at a reasonable price. This solution can use all technologies including wireless to reach those customers where fixed line provisioning can’t work.
I will be discussing this matter further with Com Reg before finalising the shape of any competition. I do not think, judging by the statements being made that achieving these should be either impossible or overly time consuming.
I look forward to a positive response to resolving this issue for once and for all."

watty

Free dishes?

bealtine

watty wrote:

Free dishes?

and saucers and gov sponsored pencils

trekkypj

Heh, I sent an email to him a few weeks ago highlighting my 'desire' to see this happen. I'd love to claim it was my, er, influence that persuaded him.

But, lets face it. It wasn't, was it?

Still. bloody great news!

Sponge Bob

Its a 100% committment by Noel to talk about it all the time until the next election after which he will no longer be minister for Comms

• a) No tenders are being sought.
• b) No minimum speed was proposed, the DCMNR follows the UK advertising standards definition / eircom minimum speed dsl guarantee of 256k of Broadband .
• c) No budget has been announced in this or any other year, WHERE is the MONEY NOEL????
• d) Noel published a new broadcasting bill last week where he could make everyone with a satellite dish get a tv licence for the DISH if he chose, ye had not forgotten that the minister defines the apparatus thats licenceable .

Until I see budgets and tenders and appointed contractors and deadlines and live dates and universal service obligations I refuse to believe that Dempsey will do anything except spout at a high bitrate.

I refuse to believe that the DCMNR has nobody who could put the beginnings of a plan into Noels speech. It was missing....glaringly so.

Expect nothing, or less.

bealtine

Sponge Bob wrote:

I

I refuse to believe that the DCMNR has nobody who could put the beginnings of a plan into Noels speech. It was missing....glaringly so.

Expect nothing, or even less.

Expect less than nothing, except maybe the paper on which the speechifying opportunities will get printed on and the electioneering brochures. Think of all the great soundbytes on "da telly"

At least we can use the paper for fires now that they've jacked up the prices for ESB and gas. The justification for the price hike was based on a barefaced lie. Could this attitude be endemic amongst regulators and their puppet masters?

Anyway after 7.5 years of doing shag all expect 6 months more of the same...

Sarsfield

Sadly I have to agree with Spongey.

Be more sceptical than ever of anything you hear from any minister or politician for the next six months. It's election time - all promise, no substance :mad:

damien

Ah so that's what he was on about. He seriously fumbled the speech today. When someone asked how they were going to give broadband to the remaining 25% nobody had a clear idea.

Peter Cochrane was one of the speakers ComReg invited - http://cochrane.org.uk/ and he ripped Gerry Fahy of eirTIFcom a new asshole about his ideas on broadband. He also had some great remarks about 3G and watching VHS quality video on a crappy mobile screen.

It strikes me odd that Dempsey is now working with ComReg for his final solution when all along the DCMNR did their own thing. There are noises coming from a lot of other Govt Depts that DCMNR are in a very weak state at the moment.

Also, can anyone confirm that there are now 36,000 people getting broadband via Group broadband schemes? That's what eirTIFcom said today.

Sponge Bob

assume 3 persons per household and thats 12000 households, 100 schemes of 120 households is plausible.

and ehm Noel announced GBS Round 3 did he ????

and "Working with Comreg" means blame Comreg for doing nothing when nothing happens

PixelTrawler

This "last 15%" figure irrates me too....

As we all know not everyone in the other 85% can get BB at present. Theres people in the middle of cities that can't get BB for various reasons.

And is it 15% population or 15% geographic coverage...

Dempsy waffle as usual - why dont they just look up north and ask how it was done

Sponge Bob

Only about 65% of homes in Ireland can get eircom dsl today as has often been proven on this board in the past . Even if they abolished the line test and did best effort minimum 256k on those exchanges it is unlikely to exceed 70% of homes to any significant degree unlesss lots more exchanges are enabled and carrier lines are upgraded.

The question for Dempsey is

"How do we get a Broadband service to the 25%-30% of (mainly rural) Irish homes that cannot get DSL or Cable in 2006 now thet Minister Dempsey has abolished the Group Broadband Scheme ?"

I know the answer will involve blaming Comreg

uncle_sam_ie

My exchange was enabled but I can't get DSL because I'm too far. I bet Noel counts me as one in the 85% range. I agree with Sponge Bob it's all words nothing is going to happen excepted the blame game.

machalla

Stupid thought probably but odds on him disbanding Comreg and creating something else or subsuming it into the department?

bealtine

machalla wrote:

Stupid thought probably but odds on him disbanding Comreg and creating something else or subsuming it into the department?

Not a snowballs chance in hell..the regulator is "supposed" to be independent of government as per EU regulations. (apart from being a handy kickingboy for said .gov)

Comreg in its current form are pretty useless that's for sure. I've seen more useful ashtrays on bikes. Perhaps if they stopped wining and dining with the "enemy" and actually listened to consumers instead and actually did something...

smellslikeshoes

Election hot air, He should have been putting this in place 2 years ago.

uncle_sam_ie

bealtine wrote:

Comreg in its current form are pretty useless that's for sure. I've seen more useful ashtrays on bikes. Perhaps if they stopped wining and dining with the "enemy" and actually listened to consumers instead and actually did something...

I wouldn't say they were useless. Eircom have found Comreg to be very useful in getting what they want.