Dail question and answer

clohamon

QUESTION

*1441. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if, in
the context of the Government’s new national broadband scheme, a service provider has
been put in place as a result of the process initiated by his Department; the position in
relation thereto; the amount of funding that has been allocated for the national broadband
scheme by the Government and the ERDF in 2008; the estimated time it will take to
complete the scheme; if minimum technical performance standards will apply to satellite
or mobile broadband alternatives which might be considered as acceptable solutions
within the scope of the scheme; and the standards in relation to same; and if he will make
a statement on the matter. — Willie Penrose. [1285/08]

ANSWER

Minister for Communications, Energy and natural Resources (Mr E Ryan)

The first phase of the procurement process (Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ)) for the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) is now complete, and four candidates pre-qualified to enter the next phase of the procurement process. As my Department indicated on 2 September 2007 , the four candidates were, in alphabetical order, BT Communications Ireland Ltd Consortium, Eircom Ltd, Hutchinson 3G Ireland Ltd and IFA/Motorola Consortium.

Following the withdrawal of the IFA Motorola Consortium as a candidate the remaining three candidates have now commenced "Competitive Dialogue" with the department and are developing their proposed solutions to meet the Department's requirements for the delivery of broadband to the unserved areas of the country. It is anticipated that a preferred bidder wil be selected in June 2008.

I do not propose to make public the funding allocated to the NBS as knowledge of the estimated cost could influence the negotiation process currently under way.

While the NBS is technology neutral, the technical standards to be provided by the winning Service Provider will be fully specified in the NBS contract. Currently it is envisaged that a minimum of 1Mbps download and 128kbps upload speed with a maximum of 48:1 contention ratio will be provided. Service Providers are also required to offer improved products in the future.


Note
*The answer does not estimate the time taken to complete the contract, but the NBS tender document specifies a maximum 60 month contract completion time. (June 2013)

Sponge Bob

clohamon wrote: »

60 month contract completion time. (June 2013)

:eek::eek::eek:

rahtkennades

clohamon wrote: »

.....I do not propose to make public the funding allocated to the NBS as knowledge of the estimated cost could influence the negotiation process currently under way.

.....

Hmm....to be fair to him, I imagine that if the operators discovered that the 'funding' was actually two used bean cans (unwashed) and a reel of orange string, it would certainly influence the negotiation.

Another bleak day for our 'technology economy'.:(

Sponge Bob

rahtkennades wrote: »

Another bleak day for our 'technology economy'.:(

There wont be any economy left by the time Ryans rollout is finished. The funding is €8m a year in each of 2008-2013 , less than the Group Broadband Scheme which was €8.3m a year for 3 years.

I had heard €55m over 3 years starting 2007 and now Ryan has it down to €48m and 6 years.

clohamon

Sponge Bob wrote: »

the Group Broadband Scheme which was €8.3m a year for 3 years.

Is that €1000 per connection ?

They'd want to be getting better value from the NBS.

(edit) Excuse me , €25m , 8000 connections, 55% subsidy . More like €566 per connection.

Sponge Bob

God no, they only spent €2m in 2+ years , way under allocation . 8000 connection for €2m = ??

watty

Some WISPs spend 1000 per connection excluding base and backhaul investment.

By definition these customers are in more expensive to serve areas. They'd want to allow at least 2000 a connection?

clohamon

In answer to deputy Andrew Doyle's question the Minister replies as follows:

Areas that are not currently served but are expected to be served by 1 July 2008 will not be covered by the National Broadband Scheme (NBS). However, if those areas remain unserved on 1 July, 2008, the NBS winning Service Provider will be permitted to serve those areas under the scheme.

Pasted from <http://debates.oireachtas.ie/DDebate.aspx?F=DAL20080130.xml&Node=H17&Page=101&gt;

So does eircom:

1. Mop up as many exchanges as possible prior to 1st July in case they don't get the contract ?

OR

2. Reckon on getting the contract, hold off on any more upgrades until 1st July and then get subsidised for doing the same job.

bealtine

Sponge Bob wrote: »

There wont be any economy left by the time Ryans rollout is finished. The funding is €8m a year in each of 2008-2013 , less than the Group Broadband Scheme which was €8.3m a year for 3 years.

His answers to the Dail sound suspiciously like Dempsey's excuse du jour.
If he is using *that* excuse book then we know for certain his other "initiatives" are just plain worthless.
He/they should have stuck to licking toilet roll and playing with dead dogs...fat lot of good those greens will do for Ireland.

Supporting the insupportable while pretending to have morals is one of the most sickening things...that an asking us to
"believe"...isn't that how Archbishop John Charles MCQuaid used to do business, asking us to believe?
Ryan the high priest of nonsense.

The Greens look slightly purple these days.