National Competitiveness Council: Call for E-minister

timod

On enn...

http://enn.ie/news.html?code=7596658

Another call made for E-Minister
Thursday, May 23 2002

As part of its plan to develop Ireland's knowledge economy, the National Competitiveness Council has called for the appointment of a Minister for E-Business.

Like many other industry groups in Ireland, Forfas' National Competitiveness Council said it is concerned about the limited availability and the high cost of broadband for small businesses here. The group is also worried about what it characterised as the government's disjointed approach to the development of the knowledge economy and Ireland's Information Society.

Subsequently, the NCC has launched an action plan to address these issues. The group's plan is designed to accelerate e-business take-up in Ireland and to drive the development and roll-out of broadband. The plan is also designed to sustain Ireland's international reputation as a leading digital society and knowledge economy.

The first element of this plan was to call on Ireland's new government to appoint an E-Minister who would have the power to promote and maintain Ireland's e-business and Information Society goals. The group suggests that the proposed minister would be assigned under the Department of the Taoiseach with cross-departmental authority, and could co-ordinate actions under the recently established Cabinet Committee on the Information Society.

This minister would also oversee the implementation of the National Broadband Investment Initiative and would look after the work of a National Broadband Planning Body, if established. The NCC envisions that he or she would also co-ordinate e-government initiatives including the Reach agency and the government's e-procurement strategy.

The National Broadband Planning Body that the Council speaks of would also be a new organisation, which, according to the NCC, would manage, and co-ordinate the National Broadband Investment Initiative to see broadband technology become more accessible to homes and small businesses.

Other initiatives proposed by the NCC included the development of Ireland's Internet exchanges to world class standards, the increase of competition on backbone data networks and the transpondance of all EU telecom directives related to the Information Society.

The NCC has also called on the government to promote wireless technologies, issue national regulations for road opening by telecom operators and extend universal service to always-on Internet access, namely ISDN.

"While recognising that much has been achieved, there is no room for complacency if Ireland is to keep pace with competitor countries," Brian Patterson, chairman of the NCC, said in a statement. "Throughout the world, governments are putting new policies into place to capture the exceptional opportunities for economic and social progress that e-business provides. Ireland has the capacity to harness these opportunities fully for all its citizens, if our institutional structures are aligned with, and are capable of responding quickly and effectively," he added.

The NCC is not the first organisation to call for an e-minister. Both ALTO (the Association of Licensed Telecommunications Operators) and the Dublin Chamber of Commerce have made similar requests to the government, hoping to address the same issues as the NCC.

The National Competitiveness Council, a government agency, reports to the Taoiseach on competitiveness issues for the Irish economy. Forfas, the national policy and advisory board for enterprise, trade, science, technology and innovation, provides the Council's secretariat.

Can't find anything new on the ncc site, but there is this from December 2001:

http://www.forfas.ie/ncc/reports/ncc_challenge_01/telecommunications.html

rardagh

Here is the link to the Press Release;

http://www.forfas.ie/newsasp/show.asp?page_id=244

timod

Originally posted by rardagh
Here is the link to the Press Release;

http://www.forfas.ie/newsasp/show.asp?page_id=244

I think that deserves a quoting:

National Competitiveness Council Calls on New Government to
Appoint Minister for e-Business and the Information Society

The Council’s ten key recommendations are as follows:

• Appoint an e-Minister. The Council recommends the appointment of a Minister to lead, promote and maintain momentum in the development of e-Business and the Information Society, within public administration, the enterprise sector and among citizens. The suggestion is that this Minister would be assigned under the Department of the Taoiseach with cross-departmental authority, and co-ordinate actions under the recently established Cabinet Committee on the Information Society. The Minister would also need to be supported by the appointment of a high level advisor with the technical expertise and business and project management experience. The role of the Minister and office should include:
  * Overseeing and driving the implementation of the National Broadband Investment Initiative to roll-out broadband to 123 towns, including overseeing the work of a National Broadband Planning Body if established;
  * Co-ordinating e-Government initiatives including the Reach agency and the Government’s recently announced e-Procurement Strategy;
  * Advising on policy for the communications sector, including broadcasting policy and telecommunications policy and on the procurement of public sector telecommunications requirements;
  * Managing and guiding the work Information Society Commission;
  * Advising on policy in relation to ICT research;
  * Overseeing and driving delivery of major initiatives including the Digital Hub, Global Crossing, and the Community Access to Information Technology (CAIT) programme; and,
  * Assisting the work of the industrial development agencies in promoting e-business adoption and developing knowledge economy sectors.
  
• Promote Broadband Take-up. The Council recommends the development of a branded ‘broadband roll-out programme’ to promote demand for broadband focusing on the enablement of firms to benefit from, and make use of, broadband. This programme should include:
  * Education. Promoting awareness of the benefits of broadband and investment in human capacity building to make most effective use of ICTs;
  * eCulture. Promoting innovative digital Irish art, music, literature and content and policies to counter digital divides; and,
  * eNovation. Promoting pilot infrastructure projects such as Fibre-to-the-Business, Fibre-to-the-Home, wireless, satellite, teleworking etc;
  * eGovernment: Promoting large scale public service access and delivery projects such as eHealth and eLearning.
  
• Establish Broadband Planning Body.The Council recommends the establishment of a specialist broadband planning body or office to manage, co-ordinate and optimise the involvement of the full range of public authorities in the National Broadband Investment Initiative to world-class standards, in close co-operation with the private sector. The body would oversee the development of an appropriate, and preferably a single Public Private Partnership model, so as to ensure that the required investment is implemented as an integrated package. It should also ensure that this investment, coupled with other private/public initiatives in local access networks, provide the broadband services that business and households require.
  
  The Council also urges the publication of detailed project plans and project specifications for the initial nineteen towns that will receive investment as part of the National Broadband Investment Initiative. The Council recommends the design of a communications and awareness programme for monitoring and tracking progress on the roll-out of the initiative and to allow telecommunication operators, local authorities and the enterprise sector plan appropriately. It is recommended that an 'on-time' web-portal such as in Alberta, Canada (http://www.supernetportal.com) or the UK (http://www.e-envoy.gov.uk) be established.
  
• Strengthen Governance of Broadband Initiative. To provide stronger ‘Corporate Governance’ and inclusive private sector participation in advising and monitoring the rollout of the National Broadband Investment Initiative, additional members should be appointed to the Broadband Expert Group overseeing the project, with broadband supply competence. The terms of reference for the Group should be clearly defined and published.
  
• Develop Ireland’s Internet Exchanges to World Class Standards. It is important for the attraction and development of e-business activities that Ireland’s Internet traffic exchange facilities be developed to world-class standards. Internet exchanges provide facilities where Internet Service Providers (ISPs) and telecommunications operators can exchange Internet traffic or ‘peer’ for onward delivery, either nationally or internationally. These need to be capable of functioning in a distributed manner to provide for location neutral peering networks. They also need to facilitate smaller ISPs setting-up in the regions to access the peering grid, locally, and in the regional cities, on a cost neutral basis. A strategic plan for the development of the required world-class facilities, including the options for the development of the existing Irish Neutral Exchange (INEX), over the next decade requires to be drawn up to support the development of Ireland as an e-business hub and to promote the development of the Information Society.
  
• Increase Competition on Backbone Networks. The extension of open-access, diverse, resilient and advanced broadband and dark fiber backbone infrastructures further throughout Ireland is central to reducing the price differentials between regions and is absolutely essential to the effectiveness of the National Broadband Initiative in the initial 19 towns. There are opportunities for achieving a critical mass of competitive alternative backbone with a wide geographical coverage by encouraging greater co-operation and inter-linkages between the networks of the semi-states that are deploying optical fiber and other networks such as ESB International, CIE and Bord Gáis Eireann. The Council recommends that, in the context of the National Broadband Investment Initiative, the State should seek to make best use of existing infrastructures to achieve a faster and more complete rollout of competitive broadband services, including making best use of the optical fiber networks of semi-state bodies.
  
• Transpose EU Telecom Directives. All outstanding EU directives related to the Information Society should be transposed as a priority. The EU agreed a package of five directives on the communications sector in January 2002. The urgent transposition by end-2002 of this new EU regulatory framework for telecoms requires to be a priority. The transposition of these directives should address the key provisions omitted from the Communications Regulation Act 2002, including increasing enforcement powers for the regulator.
  
• Promote Wireless Technologies.The draft Wireless Telegraphy Bill, to update current legislation that dates from 1926, should be enacted quickly to allow for modern spectrum management. Specifically this should provide for more efficient spectrum regulation, encourage investment in wireless broadband services and promote innovative and pioneering technologies and services.
  
• Issue National Regulations for Road Openings. As required under Section 57 of the Communications Regulation Act 2002, the Department of the Environment and Local Government should issue regulations and policy directions to road authorities for road openings by telecom operators. These are critical so as to establish, on a statutory basis, a coherent nation-wide framework for telecommunications infrastructure build-out.
  
• Extend Universal Service to Always-on Internet Access.The Council recommends that the economic and social costs and benefits, and alternative solutions, for extending the "universal service" concept be examined. For the future a key objective requires to be to ensure that Internet access, at basic telephony and ISDN speeds is available to all at flat-rate and affordable prices. In the first instance, a flat rate interconnection product for narrowband access should be introduced as quickly as possible for basic telephony and ISDN services.

Speaking on the launch of the action plan, Brian Patterson, Chairman of the NCC commented, “While recognising that much has been achieved, there is no room for complacency if Ireland is to keep pace with competitor countries. The Council has drawn particular attention to institutional aspects of the development and delivery of e-Business and Information Society policies. The recent establishment of the Cabinet Committee on the Information Society and the publication of the Government’s Information Society Action Plan, ‘New Connections’ are welcome initiatives. However, throughout the world, Governments are putting new policies into place to capture the exceptional opportunities for economic and social progress that e-Business provides. Ireland has the capacity to harness these opportunities fully for all its citizens, if our institutional structures are aligned with, and are capable of responding quickly and effectively, to the challenges of the digital economy”, concluded Patterson.

(I had to cut some of the txt out to fit it in, check the link for whole article)

WHY IS NOBODY LISTENING?

Tim

timod

Mentoned in Friday's Indo:

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=187&si=760750&issue_id=7475