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F.C.C. Set to End Sole Cable Deals for Apartments

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    #2
    rardagh
    Registered Users Posts: 54 ✭✭rardagh


    This would be a good issue for the Minister to consult on in Ireland.

    I understand from experience that this issue has dogged telecoms in Ireland for many years. Not only, in more recent years, with exclusivity being given to telcos in certain appartment blocks/developments, but also we can all remember the 'exclusivity' that CIE gave to ESAT/BT to run fiber on the rail-lines, the alledged exclusivity that the Dublin Docklands Authority tried to engineer with complex pricing models in the IFSC, and i'm sure others will have other examples.

    In the UK, in 1984, they tried to address a part of this by mandating that a lease could not contain a restrictive clause, limiting the access of other service providers, which did not allow appeal to the OFCOM equivalent on the basis of reasonableness.

    I believe this should also apply similarly to leases in perpetuity given to the likes of NTL to establish network facilities on private property. If provision is given to one operator, other operators should not be excluded on similar terms.

    It would also make sense that where a developer wishes to 'partner' with a telco at construction, or any other, stage, for ECS networks, that they would be oblidged to open an offer to all authorised telcos for similar relief. This could be done via e-tenders or equivalent.

    I suppose this is something that may come up in the Minister's proposed NGN document and forum??

    Best, Rory


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    #3
    bk
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 22,749 Mod ✭✭✭✭bk


    Yes, this is a major issue for me now.

    Many new apartment blocks are going up that only have one operator who supplies TV, phone and broadband.

    This creates a situation where a mini monopoly is created and the apartment users have no choice but to take their services. If anything goes wrong or the company wants too much money then the users have no choice.

    An example of this terrible situation is Smart Telecoms SmartVision service in Parkwest, where the TV service has been pretty much unwatachable for the last 2 years (TV freezes for 30 seconds every 2 minutes or so). All the residents can do is put up dog ears.

    What should be mandated is that every apartment has at least two CAT5e cables and 2 - 3 coax cables running from each apartment to a central location and that all TV, phone and broadband carriers be given non exclusive access to this central point, so that way people could pick and choice what services they wanted.


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    #4
    bealtine
    Registered Users Posts: 4,051 ✭✭✭bealtine


    rardagh wrote: »
    This would be a good issue for the Minister to consult on in Ireland.

    I put this piece up because having dealt with Comreg/Minister in the past, the excuse "du jour" is usually "no one else has done it, so we can do nothing".
    A sort of a cheap song 'n' dance routine with Vaseline.

    Well here we have the FCC clearly saying this practice is anti-competitive and must be stopped in the interest of consumers and hopefully to stem rising costs.
    As an aside it is unusual for the FCC to really give a damn about consumers but for them, as a sound bite, it sounds nice.

    I know anecdotally that this practice is really bad for consumers, as any monopoly leads to the "shure it'll do" attitude so beloved of monopolies.


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