Government Progress Report - We're doing well it seems.

damien

In its second annual progress report released today, the Government has singled out the Luas, broadband, road infrastructure and Ireland's EU presidency as significant achievements.

The report is available as a PDF version and an RTF Version

I've pasted in here the bits that are relevant to us:

RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION
We believe that ongoing action is required to ensure that Ireland continues to be a world leader in the knowledge-based industries.

We will ensure the putting in place of open-access broadband on a national basis.

• The 19 Town Metropolitan Area Network Broadband Programme is on time, on budget and on target.

• Our radical €140 million Broadband Action Plan was launched in December 2003.

• This Plan expands the current programme of local authority infrastructure in 19 regional towns with an aim to bring low-cost broadband to every Irish town with a population of over 1500.

• For rural areas with a population of less than 1500 we have established a Group Scheme where Government funding will be provided to assist the capital outlay to provide broadband.

We will ensure that the full range of options, including wireless technologies, are utilised to expand broadband access in rural areas.

• Our €140 million Broadband Action Plan is technology neutral. All technologies to be included in the expanded programme.

• The new Group Broadband Scheme will also allow for deployment of wireless technologies.

• ComReg has issued new 3.5 GhZ licences to facilitate the provision of wireless broadband services.

• Our plan to bring broadband to every primary, secondary and special needs school in the country will involve all technologies.


We will create real competition for local phone services by ensuring the unbundling of the local loop.

• Regulations permitting local loop unbundling are now in place.


We will drive forward the Schools IT programme based on the principle of school-based planning and devolved funding. We will ensure that progressive training courses are available to teachers.

• Since 1998 some €140m has been made available for the schools’ IT programme in order to realise the Government's vision of preparing all students for the information age.

• Over 80% of teachers have received training in the use of ICT in schools. Further training/support is being provided to meet identified needs.

• Since 1998, average pupil/computer ratios have been reduced from 35:1 to 11:1 at primary level and from 16:1 to 9:1 at second level.

• Internet access has been provided to all schools. A major €18 million initiative has been agreed with the telecoms industry which will see broadband connectivity delivered to every school in the country by the end of 2005.

• A comprehensive new strategy for enhancing the role of ICT in primary and post-primary education is at an advanced stage of preparation.


We will review available fiscal instruments for the support of advanced connectivity.

• In support of the policy of ensuring that Ireland’s relative international position in this area is maintained, the Minister for Finance agreed, in November 2002, a capital investment envelope for the rollout of Metropolitan Area Networks throughout the country for the period 2003-2004; total investment being €65m. Already, Exchequer investment stands at €35m.

• We have ensured that home broadband connectivity is exempt from normal benefit-in-kind restrictions.

• Proposals for changed benefits-in-kind treatment regarding teleworking are currently with the Minister for Finance.

Ripwave

damien.m wrote:

The report is available as a PDF version and an RTF Version

They must be really proud of themselves, releasing this on the morning of the August Bank Holiday Monday!

sceptre

Ripwave wrote:

They must be really proud of themselves, releasing this on the morning of the August Bank Holiday Monday!

I guess they never made it past series one of Yes Minister.

eircomtribunal

damien.m wrote:

.... for the support of advanced connectivity.

• In support of the policy of ensuring that Ireland’s relative international position in this area is maintained...

Dermot, you really spook us out with this promise. Ireland's "relative international position in this area" is at the bottom of the lot, just above that of sunny Greece.

None of the journo's or opposition politicians seems to have said anything about this spurious bb success claim.

P.

sceptre

eircomtribunal wrote:

Dermot, you really spook us out with this promise. Ireland's "relative international position in this area" is at the bottom of the lot, just above that of sunny Greece.

Indeed. It would appear that rather than either admit that we've basic or poor connectivity (excluding the fat lines running through the country that are used by people in the rest of Europe) or do something dramatic about it (and admitting the problem is the first step to redemption), we've just redefined "mediocre" as "advanced".

While Dermot's obviously been the best comms minister we've had for some time (and being after O'Rourke hasn't hurt), this newspeak attitude to the actual state of our telecoms sector is increasingly worrying.

damien

eircomtribunal wrote:

None of the journo's or opposition politicians seems to have said anything about this spurious bb success claim.

Give us time. (We really need a very Ioffl evil smiley for these things )

jwt

• Proposals for changed benefits-in-kind treatment regarding teleworking are currently with the Minister for Finance.

Might be worth keeping an eye on this....... the obvious question being what's the point if the people whom teleworking will benefit i.e. non urban dwellers, can't get a decent connection?

We believe that ongoing action is required to ensure that Ireland continues to be a world leader in the knowledge-based industries.

Despite poor internet access/broadband penetration. Should we weigh up the cost of education, tax incentives etc versus improving internet access and come up with cost benefit ratio that proves that improved internet access is signicantly cheaper to achieve than tax incentives, IDA grants etc?

A major €18 million initiative has been agreed with the telecoms industry which will see broadband connectivity delivered to every school in the country by the end of 2005.

Is there any way in which this could be leveraged to provide a broadband access point in every town and village in Ireland?
I'm thinking along the lines of upping the bandwidth provided to each school to say 20Mb so that the school could resell or rent their spare bandwidth to the community.Ok so it only allows 40 512k connections at once but at 20 to 1 contention you get 800 broadband connections in the area.

The cost would increase considerably but the resell/rent income could cover it. Just a thought.

In support of the policy of ensuring that Ireland’s relative international position in this area is maintained

Anybody know which policy to ensure our relatively crap position is maintained? I would love to see that in writing!

I can feel the vitriol in the inkwell calling to me....time to set pen to paper


John

viking

jwt wrote:

Is there any way in which this could be leveraged to provide a broadband access point in every town and village in Ireland?

If a town or village doesn't have the backhaul to support broadband for the school then money will not be spent on bringing it in. Unfortunately the school will simply get VSAT.

Viking

jwt

I thought the government was putting the school broadband out to tender?
Specifically to avoid VSAT technology?

Maybe I misread the report.

John