minister ahern on newstalk106 at 5.05

newstalk

please email your questions to brian@newstalk106.ie

kamobe

Please record it

newstalk

brian@newstalk106.ie


have the estimates affected broadband at all

De Rebel

Brian

A few questions -

Now that the minister has taken the lead on flat rate, does he intend doing anything about the price of Broadband. Even though ESAT are soon to announced a new product (which is half the speed for half the price), the reality is that Eircom and ESAT/BT have identical pricing for broadband. And these are the most expensive prices anywhere in the world. UK prices are about 1/3 the Irish price. Will he act on this? When?

The way in which Broadband is being delivered at the moment (using a technology known as DSL) limits its availibility to those living up to 2 miles from an Eircom exchange. The Fiber Rings part of the Government's New Connections program proposes to address this issue in part for approximatly 100 towns. Does the Minister have any plan and timetable to quickly deliver broadband using wireless technology to the 40% of households that will not be getting it via DSL or the Fiber Rings?

Extension to previous question. There was a proposal to spend a pretty miserable Eur300,000 in 2002 to fund 20 or so wireless broadband projects. It appears that this sum was cut for 2002, and has been reduced to less than Eur200,000 for 2003. Does he have any intention of QUICKLY rolling out broadband using wireless technology and what approach will he take and how will it be funded and when will it be operational.

Oh and congratulations to the Minister on getting the Commission in place and following up on his commitment in relation to flat rate so promptly.

De Rebel

Originally posted by kamobe
Please record it

Oh please do record it or make a transcript available for those of us in culchie land;)

scojones

Can we listen to this via the web? /me hopes so

Dangger

Further to De Rebels points on the high cost of broadband the 8th EU report on the investigations of the Irish markets telecomunications market liberalisation is due out next week, (Details here )

It will once again highlight the startling difference in costs and availability of Internet access products between Ireland and the rest of Europe. There were representatives from the major Irish telcos and some user groups including IrelandOffline at the hearing last October 7th in Brussels.

The flat rate directive is a great step for Ireland and its implementation is hugely important.

With regards to the pricing of a flat rate dial up service it has been stated in the past that the Regulatory Body does not have the power to influence the price at which it will be offered, however previously the Irish government has signed up to both the EU E-Action plans 2002 and 2005. These action plans at their core had the following goals:


The 2005 plan : "widespread availability of broadband access at competitive prices"

The 2002 plan : "A cheaper, faster and secure Internet" , Irish users did not see Internet use get any cheaper even though we supposedly met the 2002 objectives.


We all know flat rate dial up CANNOT be priced over the €30 mark. However Eirocm have already stated that this is not likely. *** ALARM BELLS!!!!! *** Will the new body have the required resources to investigate the rolls royce costing of Eircom's network? Following this action must be taken to cut the price of broadband (ADSL offerings).

We are under continued scrutiny in these areas and they can be addressed. We need to keep this momentum.

David Long
Chariman IrelandOffline

NiN

Listen in on the webby.... http://www.newstalk106.ie

NiN

Nothing about it on the website.........

meglome

Listen to the show now...

http://62.25.96.7/newstalk

Dangger

Great! Thanks meglome.

NiN

He's taking his time getting to the interesting bit.....

iwb

That is, if he does get into broadband at all! It's funny to think there is a world out there besides broadband! I must be a geek:)

NiN

Yeah I have a funny feeling we'e going to hear a nice bit about fish and oil spills and other tear tearing stuff and that's about it.

meglome

not much we haven't heard before but it keeps the pressure on all the same.

NiN

Nothing we didn't already know. George didn't exactly push him for info, did he? He asked him about the cost of broadband and got 5 minutes of swill not really answering anything.

Calibos

Nothing new. I wish he had of asked the minister about the current pricing of the broadband thats available now, ie I-stream rather than whether the current broadband investment will continue by the government into what I expect to be just more unlit fibre.

iwb

I attended a meeting for the Irish Internet Association last week and Niall O'Donnchu stated there that the town rings will be lit as the Government sees fit.
I think he means that the Managed Services Entity (MSE) which is to be appointed to look after the infrastructure will be given the latitude to implement a live network as it sees fit, within guidelines. I believe that unless that entity is a Telco (and based on the fact that it has to be independent I doubt it can be) it will suggest that lighting the network will make the most sense for broadband rollout.

Dangger

Nothing new....

Hang on!!! We heard the Minister clearly state that his department feel the ODTR have all the powers they need and if they don't for any reason, he will grant them to them! This was an important clarification.

spongebob

ping pong time

Ahern sez the ODTR already have the powers they need in exising legislation and IF NOT he will grant more powers (thats new)which must come in the form of a not yet published communication bill.....If he has to go down that road we will not have the legislation before 2004 at the earliest.

The ODTR is equally adamant that it does Not have the necessary legal powers.

This has been a moot point for so long that I suspect that either

a) they both got 2 contrarian legal opinions in oder to scope the issues out and are squabbling over how to weigh these

OR

b) One of them is LYING...plain and simple. The positions are so diametrically opposed when you look at it.

M

JimHacker

The main point in all of this is that until a month ago we were all banging our head off the wall with frustration on the Flat-Rate issue.

Now we have a Minister who is obviously committed to it, who is obviously going to work for it.

Its just too easy to sit back and take the piss about the Minister lying or Etain Doyle lying.

Evertyone knows Etain can but in and enfore a FRIACO under present legislation. The problem - as we all know - in an ineffectual regulator who has sat on hert arse for years now.

David C

Brian,
Didn't manage to hear the interview but I wish to commend you on putting the effort into helping bring the issue of Flat Rate/Broadband into the average Joe Soap's house...

Keep up the good work!
Things are looking promising...

ElNino

Unfortunately I missed it as well. Did anyone record an mp3 of it?

Fallschirmjager

Jim, perhaps you could explain exactly what the minister has DELIVERED to date....

DC

Jim, perhaps you could explain exactly what the minister has DELIVERED to date....

Not much, but I think we should give him a chance. If things don't start happening in January, then we get on his case.

De Rebel

Originally posted by Fallschirmjager
Jim, perhaps you could explain exactly what the minister has DELIVERED to date....

Fallschirmjager

I can understand your scepticism, and the same thoughts linger in my mind. But this guy appears to be up front and is talking the talk. He has already delivered on some significant intermediate steps:

• The commission has been appointed and will be in place on 1st December. The nominees are competent and the appointments are free of any hint of patronage. This could easily have dragged on for another 6 months.
• He has said clearly that the directive will hit them on their first day in office. Again having said he was going to do it, the norm would be to do nothing more for 12 months.
• From the day he first made known his intention to issue the directive, he has actually strengthened his language, (and hopefully his resolve) rather than watering it down as is the norm in Irish politics.

In the latest press release there are some interesting indications - regulatory obligations are to be focused only where required (read as: ODTR stop wandering all over the place, regulate in order to achieve objectives, not for the sake of regulation), the commission will focus on a number of key policy priorities (read as: you are in office to deliver on the priorities that have been set for you – do it) etc. In other words, he will decide what is needed and will direct the commission to deliver. This is entirely different to the leaderless nonsense that we got from his predecessor, which in turn left the ODTR in a directionless no-mans land.

He is talking the talk, he has moved quickly by Irish political standards. Time (i.e. 6 months) will tell if he is walking the walk. And, as DC says, our job is to ensure that he remains focused and starts to deliver. I for one am optimistic.