Rurally dispersed feel ComReg's love.

clohamon

During a session of the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications with ComReg on October 23rd, deputies Helen McEntee and Brendan Griffin stated their anxiety about rural Ireland becoming even more marginalised. Commissioner Kevin O’Brien outlined what ComReg had been, and is, doing to prevent digital divide. Take it away, Kevin…..

Mr. Kevin O'Brien: Deputy McEntee asked how we regulate for the Irish market. Obviously, Ireland is a country with rurally dispersed population, so this is also relevant to Deputy Griffin’s questions. I will give some examples. The universal service obligation means everybody is guaranteed the right to a network connection at a fixed point. We guarantee the price for this will be the same throughout the country. Seven or eight years ago ComReg licensed spectrum to be used to provide broadband in a way which had not been done in most of Europe. Broadband was provided in rural areas which did not have access to it at the time and there was a big take-up of fixed wireless services. The fixed networks are catching up with this and replacing it. We are now working on how Eircom prices its wholesale broadband and bitstream products. Much of what we are doing is examining the incentives for Eircom to invest outside urban areas and how we will ensure it does not overcharge or cut other operators out of the market.

watty

Umm... what is he talking about?

spank_inferno

If people choose the dispersed bungalow blitz, not 1cent of taxpayers money should be given to Eircom to put in loss making BB.

Make your bed... Lie in it.

croo

spank_inferno wrote: »

Make your bed... Lie in it.

We should probably get rid of electrical cables & roads too!

oscarBravo

Seven or eight years ago ComReg licensed spectrum to be used to provide broadband in a way which had not been done in most of Europe. Broadband was provided in rural areas which did not have access to it at the time and there was a big take-up of fixed wireless services.

He forgot to mention that in three years' time they'll be revoking those licenses from the FWA operators and making them available to mobile operators.

Which is, I suppose, entirely consistent with the view in this country that if we have mobile data, we don't need anything else.

watty

If people choose the dispersed bungalow blitz,
Make your bed... Lie in it.

Government and Councils handed out the planning permissions for houses and planned / implemented infrastructure over the last 90 years. You can't blame people for living where they do. Maybe blame them for voting for idiots and also not becoming politicians but leaving it up to "idiots".

But I also think the Civil Service "bosses" make most of the decisions and have been disastrous on infrastructure planning.

Fibre Broadband can get anywhere ESB can get. There is no reason though for Eircom to get any money to do it. Also in longer term it's profitable.
The problems as to why "private" investors will not do Universal Fibre:

• Mobile Data is too cheap (actually subsidised by Voice & SMS).
• Too long a pay back period for capital investment, faster & larger returns elsewhere.
• Profit is too low compared to other investments.
• Risk: Ireland has a bad track record on infrastructure projects
• Comreg/DCNER/Civil Service: Favour Mobile and track record of broken promises on infrastructure report.