Noel O'Flynn drags in ComReg to explain Smart debacle

damien

http://www.fiannafail.ie/rss_page.php4?id=6269

Deputy O'Flynn, who chairs the high-powered Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications, said he will be asking ComReg some important questions tomorrow.

'We would like to know when ComReg was informed that Smart Telecom had financial difficulties in its dealings with Eircom. Could any action have been taken to avoid disconnecting 40,000 customers? What steps are now going to be taken to safeguard wholesale operators buying wholesale fixed-line services from Eircom?

Why not go along:

Discussions with ComReg take place at 4pm tomorrow (Oct 10) in CR4, Leinster House.

Sponge Bob

has he the Doherty transcript to the Times (friday) and the Goggin transcript to the radio...you know the ones that contradict each other totally as any arse and elbow would

and can he drag them in one commissioner at a time (not mob handed as usual) and make the others wait outside in the rain until its their turn along with an usher equipped with a baseball bat so if they as much as twitch !!!!!!

Liam Byrne

Given the blatant lick-arsing in the ComReg press releases (e.g. "we'd like to acknowledge eircom's help blah blah blah puke" :mad:), I can't see tomorrow's meeting doing an ounce of good......

damien

http://www.rte.ie/business/2006/1010/smart.html

The Communications Regulator said it initiated an emergency planning process with Eircom when it became aware of financial problems at Smart Telecom.

Last Monday, Eircom cut off over 40,000 Smart fixed line customers, saying it was owed €4m by the company.

ComReg told the Oireachtas Committee on Communications today that as part of the emergency plan, it had requested Eircom to provide a reasonable period of notice following a formal decision to discontinue its wholesale service to Smart.

However on Monday October 2, Eircom declined that request and announced that one of Smart's wholesale contracts would be terminated by 5pm that evening.

http://www.labour.ie/press/listing/20061010175807.html

Labour’s Communications Spokesperson Tommy Broughan has condemned ComReg’s failure to act effectively throughout the ongoing Smart Telecom debacle during the regulator’s appearance at today’s hearings of the Dail Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Committee.

Deputy Broughan said: “The events of last week when over 40,000 Smart customers had their phone and broadband services summarily disconnected was disgraceful and indicated a high degree of regulatory failure. Unfortunately today ComReg failed to adequately address their role in this fiasco and explain why no advance warning was provided for Smart customers.

“ComReg would not answer whether they had any specific discussions with the new owners of Eircom, Babcock and Brown, on this matter after they took over the company. I further asked Commissioner Isolde Goggins and her senior colleagues, if ComReg had concerns about the business model of any other operators in the telecoms industry. It is imperative that the regulator does not allow any similar episodes to occur

watty

But they are an INDEPENDENT regulator.

Foxwood

watty wrote:

But they are an INDEPENDENT regulator.

They admitted in the High Court that the only entity that can influence their decisions is eircom - they pulled the 3G license form Smart because they were afraid that eircom would sue them if they didn't.

Maybe Tommy and Noel should threaten to sue Comreg. Dragging them before an Oireachtas committee is a waste of everyones time, and Comreg knows it, even if Tommy and Noel won't admit it.