Dermot Ahern thinks we're stupid

AndrewMc

Dermot Ahern was condescending on the 1 o'clock news today (RTE) basically saying that anyone not able to get ADSL is an idiot for not finding out about wireless, satellite, or starting their own community-based scheme. He said it's an open de-regulated market.

He needs to be asked:

1) Does he realise in how few areas wireless is available?

2) Does he know how much satellite costs?

2a) Does he know what "latency" means? (If you're telecommuting, latency
can be a big, big usability problem).

3) Why do I need a community scheme in a town of 6000-7000 people?
Moreso, why would you need a community scheme in the middle of Dublin?

4) If you're renting a flat (where you've no permission to affix things
to the building), how does he propose you get either wireless or
satellite?

cgarvey

All good valid points. I especially think that 4) is an under-rated problem, given the amount of people renting accommodation these days.

.cg

vinnyfitz

Agreed Andrew the report did sound remarkably condescending. Strains of "people should just shop around".
People should listen to the 1 minute 50 second clip from here if you can bear RealPlayer. http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0914/1news.html

I think the IOFFL line should be - "We know the Minister is doing his best to trigger alternatives to Eircom but he ought not be remotely complacent. There are huge availability, cost and technological problems with the alternatives which he is mentioning. Let's face it Broadband availability is, and will continue to be, a major competitiveness and social challenge for this country."

p.s Andrew was that you on the radio this morning also?

De Rebel

Oh would you ever stop whinging about being hungry and go and eat cake.

shinzon

so basically what dermos saying is that even though we pay the highest line rental in europe it doesnt entitle us to have the option of having a stable network so that at least we have the option of having Broadband over our phonelines

As for satellite its exhorbitantly expensive, wireless can be ok but is prone to latency and the weather to be honest

i really cant believe how condescending he was in that piece, wonder is it because he wont be in that post much longer

Shin

Mr_Man

I saw this piece on the 6:01 news and while I agree that Dermot is being a bit of a p***k in his comments I thought the RTE report did a fairly good job of pointing out the weaknesses in Dermot's arguement.

It looks as if the education process is starting to pay off, and needs to continue,

M.

damien

Anyone know who the reporter was on 6.01 ?

Paddy20

I spotted Charlie Bird holding a microphone, but he was not speaking to camera. We could do with a heavyweight reporter like him to do a bit of digging in the telecom's ducts of Ireland.

Who know's, maybe he might find the old abandoned Eircom:- "Rat". :eek:

Mr Aherne's body language and hand rubbing, indicated that he knew he was deliberately misleading/lying to the general public, but his eye's were saying 'I'm a politician, I'm a politician, and I am off to Europe ASAP, so cut me some slack for heaven's sake ?...So I will tell you that broadband is available to all, but you do not have too believe me, do you.!

Now, get me outa here FFS

Mr_Man

I think it was the RTE midlands correspondent Kieran Mulloly ?

M.

spongebob

enabled my arsuh

see below

M

eircomtribunal

vinnyfitz wrote:

I think the IOFFL line should be - "We know the Minister is doing his best to trigger alternatives to Eircom but he ought not be remotely complacent. There are huge availability, cost and technological problems with the alternatives which he is mentioning. Let's face it Broadband availability is, and will continue to be, a major competitiveness and social challenge for this country."

I have always critically supported Dermot Ahern in the past.

I think he has totally lost his marbles (if he ever really had them) and the earlier he's gone from this job the better.

The last press releases of the DCMNR were utter crap – praising the 100 000 eircom broadband user goal as a success as if they had never heard of their own March 2004 policy directive. The last statements of Dermot were an insult to his and our intelligence.

Stating to the media and on public radio that the line problems are Eircom's business, that he had always told Eircom to invest into the network, but they would not listen, that everybody can have broadband now and practically half of the country should just all have their broadband via satellite is one step too far.

I gave him the benefit of the doubt with earlier deeply questionable press statements, but it is clear now: He doesn't have a clue how to achieve the aspirations he has set out. His main business of announcing one MAN completion after the other – each time giving the misleading impression to the public that this meant broadband availability for this region – was on an inherited development.

He never understood the basics of the game: You can either have strong competition (which we do not have due to the lack of a noteworthy cable industry), or you have strong regulation.

He has not made good the damage of the government's monumental blunder of selling off a piece of all-important national infrastructure to venture capitalists without putting the necessary checks in place.

Dermot is aware that Comreg will not achieve the goals he set for them. Comreg are in direct contempt to his directive. We will not reach the EU–average for bb development by mid 2005 or anytime later. Granting the highest line rental in Europe, the second highest LLU pricing, not implementing the Functional Internet requirement, allowing broadband disabling carrier systems to be built into the system to this day, allowing the bb enduser price to rise against the EU average are all a recipe for failing the directive. Dermot just closes his eyes and talks nonsense.

He has failed and he has failed the country.

P.

P.S.: I think we should make it clear to him and the media, that his understanding of satellite and broadband are confused and wrong. Again and again he falls for Eircom's tricks, this time with their satellite PR.

One way satellite is not broadband.
Two way satellite is an expensive, poor and restricted version of broadband for Africa and a tiny percentage of the population in our regions.
Two way satellite is available since many years everywhere in Ireland and does not count in the measurement of broadband availability – as much as Eircom would want the public believe otherwise.

por

eircomtribunal wrote:

P.S.: I think we should make it clear to him and the media, that his understanding of satellite and broadband are confused and wrong. Again and again he falls for Eircom's tricks, this time with their satellite PR.

One way satellite is not broadband.
Two way satellite is an expensive, poor and restricted version of broadband for Africa and a tiny percentage of the population in our regions.
Two way satellite is available since many years everywhere in Ireland and does not count in the measurement of broadband availability – as much as Eircom would want the public believe otherwise.

what is his e-mail address ?, I found his comments very condescending, I'd like to let him know, even though he may not be in the job in 2 weeks time.

BrianD

The reporter was probably RTE's midland reporter, Ciaran Malluly (Sic) as Aherne was at a public consultation held in Athlone regarding the Ox Report (a review of independent radio licensing).

Aherne can afford to be flippant as it just so happens that a wireless broadband provider covers his home town on the east coast (where by the law of averages things will be better). He is assuming that what he has everybody else must have.

AndrewMc

vinnyfitz wrote:

p.s Andrew was that you on the radio this morning also?

Aye, ranting to the nation

govinda

Dermot Aherns email addresses are:

dahern@iol.ie
and
minister@dcmnr.ie

but I can tell you now, your email will be answered with a "Thank you for your email, the contents of which will be brought to the Ministers attention" and thats the last you'll hear! As eircomtribunal said, he has failed the country - with the cabinet reshuffle coming up, I doubt he'll bother responding. Spin, spin and more spin....

AndrewMc

Mr_Man wrote:

I saw this piece on the 6:01 news and while I agree that Dermot is being a bit of a p***k in his comments I thought the RTE report did a fairly good job of pointing out the weaknesses in Dermot's arguement.

Sod-all bandwidth today, and no RealPlayer handy - roughly what did the reporter say?

Just curious!

Andrew

LFCFan

Any tiny little bit of respect I had for the man has been well and truely washed away with that interview. What and arsewipe. I live in a new estate with upwards of 2,500 houses in Dublin and I have no access to any form of broadband (Sattelite is not broadband). To me it sounds like he's washing his hands of the whole broadband issue as he's off in a couple of weeks

damien

LFCFan, did you email me your details about this previously ? If yes email me and remind me, if not email me and give me the name of your estate and anyone else you know in this estate that can't get broadband. my email is research@irelandoffline.org

LFCFan

damien.m wrote:

LFCFan, did you email me your details about this previously ? If yes email me and remind me, if not email me and give me the name of your estate and anyone else you know in this estate that can't get broadband. my email is research@irelandoffline.org

mail sent!