ComReg gets new role in shake-up

RangeR

Is it really real?


http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=184&si=1755133&issue_id=15115

[FONT=Verdana, Arial] THE communications regulator, ComReg, will take on a "quasi-judicial" role under legislation to be published this month, which will arm the body with wide-ranging new powers.


It is understood that the new legislation has been revised in recent weeks to give the body tougher powers, closely mirroring those of the Competition Authority.


ComReg will have the power to summons witnesses before hearings, examine them under oath and require witnesses to produce documentation. As previously flagged, the new legislation will also allow ComReg to impose fines of up to €4m.


The draft Competition Regulator Ammendment Bill is currently 'out to observation' in other Government departments.


Legislation giving ComReg new powers has been expected for over a year.
A well-informed source said that an earlier draft of the new bill was not seen as "robust" enough. The department has been in regular contact with the Attorney General's office to establish how much power could be granted to ComReg.


The new legislation is designed to speed up competition in the telecoms market and the will give the body what are known as "co-competition" powers, allowing ComReg to initiate investigations.


It will allow ComReg to appoint members of staff to act as officials armed with full powers.


ComReg has been branded a "toothless" regulator and BT Ireland complained last year that the body did not have adequate powers to deal with the issue of broadband access.


ComReg had found that its current legislation is too detailed and technical to quickly deal with competition issues of concerns.


The body's lack of teeth was highlighted last October when 40,000 Smart Telecom fixed line customers were left without services.


The services were cut off following a dispute between Eircom, which owns the network on which Smart operated.


A request from ComReg to give customers 24 hours notice of the cut off was refused.


However, it is envisaged that the the watchdog would take a similar approach to the Competition Authority, which issued 173 summons between 2003 and 2005.


Local loop unbundling is high on the Bill's agenda as is broadband, which is on target to be in 450,000 homes by March, in line with Mr Dempsey's targets.
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damien

Doesn't matter. Body of a rottweiler, brain of a poodle. Or think of it as the keystone cops with new powers of arrest. Will it make a difference?

dahamsta

No.

damien

dahamsta wrote:

No.

I can't hear you. Louder! (This could all get american gospel choiry in a bit)

RangeR

damien.m wrote:

I can't hear you. Louder! (This could all get american gospel choiry in a bit)

OMFGHESAIDNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!1!!!!!!!EXCLAMATIONMARK!!!!!1!!


Pity really.

dahamsta

damien.m wrote:

I can't hear you. Louder! (This could all get american gospel choiry in a bit)

Hell no!

watty

Local loop unbundling is high on the Bill's agenda as is broadband, which is on target to be in 450,000 homes by March, in line with Mr Dempsey's targets.

No doubt his revised targets.

UPC as was NTL/Chorus wants to offer all their 485,000 customers BB & VOIP phone.

Sky would like to offer all of their nearly 400,000 customers BB & Phone.

Obviously it is a little easier for UPC than Sky to bypass DSL However if both succeed in their ambitions this year it will achieve more than ND has.

Also most of the Wireless ISP have grand ambitions too, not limited by eircom. Even eircom seems to have wireless ambitions.

O2, 3 and Vodaphone are getting the ir 3G/HSDPA act together for flat rate data.

Digiweb is rolling out "4G" mobile broadband/internet.

Is 2007/2008 going to be the year when Broadband availability finally catches up with demand?

Could we see a jump to 750,000 by 2009?

But little of this seems due to Government or LLU. It is commercial private operators working to find ways to meet the demand.

netwhizkid

It appears something is happening as a bill is due to be published today.

RTÉ News Article

DCMNR Press Release

Will the poodle get a pair of Balls?

netwhizkid

Done more research into this and as this only bill it counts for yodda. This bill must be put into legislation which means it must be passed in the Dáil, then it must be passed in the Seanad, then back to the Dáil again before sending it onto Aras an Uachtaran for Mary McAleese to sign it into Law.

Anway, I'm off to sleep now, would someone wake me up say around 2012 in time for the London Olympics; maybe there might be progress made on it by then.

Solair

Government bills almost always pass once they're set into motion.
The Government has a majority in the Dail (so it will get a majority in favour)
and likewise in the Seanad.

Also, this bill will be popular across all parties.

It's not exactly going to be controvertial or subject to much in the way of challenge by members of either house.

Hacketry

Solair wrote:

Government bills almost always pass once they're set into motion.
The Government has a majority in the Dail (so it will get a majority in favour)
and likewise in the Seanad.

Also, this bill will be popular across all parties.

It's not exactly going to be controvertial or subject to much in the way of challenge by members of either house.

Yeah but if you read the bill closely there are a few controversial bits slipped in (although admitedly not wholly relevant to the broadband topic).

I find vague proposals to reorganise the 999 service slightly worrying. I have a sinking feeling about that one, as I hope it doesn't pave the way for privitisation of emergency call answering.

With regards to broadband however, there is reference to something to do with "duct" access to operators' infrastructure. Is that Local Loop Unbundling?

Solair

the 999 / 112 re-organisation has something to do with an EU regulation issue. AFAIK, Ireland was in trouble for having a rather poor system behind 999/112 i.e. caller location data couldn't be transfered to the emergency services and various other issues that would mean that it's not really up to modern standards.

AFAIK, the bill just lays out a framework through which the relevant minister will be able to make regulations to ensure that the 999/112 service operates smoothly and complies with releveant European norms.

VoIP added to the mix has made 999/112 issues a little more complex too. i.e. they may require that geographic numbers assigned to VoIP services be accurately registered on a database so that 999/112 can identify addresses easily.
There was a huge fuss over it in the USA with 911 and VoIP.

Also, I think it may be setting-up some kind of a way of paying for the service more equitably i.e. eircom seems to bare the brunt of the load, while the majority of 999/112 calls originate on Vodafone, O2, Meteor etc..
I assume there's a mechanism where by mobile operators and other operators would contribute something towards providing the service.

Incidently, emergency call answering *IS* privatised. Eircom do it.

watty

Hacketry wrote:

With regards to broadband however, there is reference to something to do with "duct" access to operators' infrastructure. Is that Local Loop Unbundling?

Probably new developments & apartments. Only local loop in sense of anyone putting in coax, copper pair or fibre. Not to do with unbundelling (wholesale rental) of eircom's existing copper pair from exchange to house.