Responce to no Flat rate from GOV

BoneCollector

the following is the response i recieved after pointing out the obvious facts we are all aware of...

With regards to

Flat Rate Internet Access
The Department recognizes the need for low cost, high speed internet access
for both business and residential users. The recently passed Communications
Regulation Act, 2002, includes an amendment which reflects the Government's
wish to facilitate an appropriate legislative and regulatory environment
where competitively priced, high quality services can prevail. (extract from
Act below)

Section 12(2)(c)(v)
(2) In relation to the objectives referred to in subsection (1)(a),
the Commission shall take all reasonable measures which are aimed at
achieving those objectives, including
- (c) in so far as promotion of the interests of users within the
Community is concerned -
(v) encouraging access to the internet at reasonable cost to users

Since there is now no regulatory impediment to flat rate internet access, it
is ultimately a matter for industry players to offer this rate. The
stimulation of the competitive market which will allow this to occur is now
underway in the broadband rollout programme.

Broadband Rollout Programme
Broadband services in Ireland are provided by privately owned
telecommunications companies operating in a liberalized, regulated market.
The principle operators offering broadband services are eircom, Esat, ntl,
and Chorus. Other operators include Nevadatele, Colt, WorldCom, Cable and
Wireless, Global Crossing, Metro Media, Aurora (BGE) and ESB Telecom.

Government currently makes two interventions into broadband roll-out:

*Legislation
*Financial incentives

Legislation is concerned with the transposition of EU Directives and the
passing of other legislation, such as the Communications Act 2002. The
primary implementer of legislation is the Director of Telecommunications
Regulation. The Regulator issues licenses, sets certain tariff structures,
sets a framework for interconnections between operators and may levy certain
fines. The Regulator sets the framework for the use of the important DSL
technology.

National Development Plan 2000-2006, Communications Infrastructure
Programme.
An amount of EUR200 million has been allocated to this programme over the
years 2000-2006. This sum has been allocated as grant aid to 13 private
companies and is also currently being allocated to local authorities in
order to extend broadband services to the regions. The decision to make
funding available to public bodies and local authorities for the
construction of broadband networks was taken because the recent downturn in
telecommunications meant that private operators (aside form the 13 mentioned
above) have been unable to apply. It is expected that the majority of the
grant aid for this programme will be paid to both private companies and
local authorities before the end of 2003.

In summary this will result in:

*A new national fibre-backbone owned by ESB, challenging the existing
backbone duopoly.
*Extensive roll-out of DSL services by eircom and Esat
*Leased line services in the north-west by Nevadatele
*Availability on an open access-basis of broadband infrastructure
which would remain in long-term public ownership, but would allow private
operators to exploit it.

The following is the rationale for requesting local authorities to provide
advance enabling communications infrastructure:

*local authorities have an involvement in local planning and needs
analysis
*local authorities control the roads, access to the roads being the
most the most difficult and costly part of building a broadband network
*provision of open-access networks is contrary to traditional
operators exclusivity of network, and allows for competition in a way that
hasn't happened before
*this model is successfully deployed in other countries (e.g. StockAB
in Sweden which the Department has examined, Palo Alto)
*the intervention falls short of government re-entering the actual
provision of telecommunications services, leaving this to the private sector

The Local Authority Funding Programme was supported by Forfas, IDA,
Enterprise Ireland, Shannon Development and Udaras na Gaeltachta, all of
whom assisted in its promotion. A large number of local authorities applied,
suggesting a range of projects including fibre, satellite and wireless
technologies. Independent expert evaluation recommended that local
authorities provide Metropolitan Area Networks - fibre and duct rings in
urban areas.
19 different towns were recommended for the Local Authority Funding
Programme. Since January 2002, the local authorities have been working on
these projects with design of the networks complete in most cases or else
underway, civil works about to commence in some cases and civil works
nearing completion in the case of the Digital Hub (this is funded outside
the NDP).

Local authorities have employed experienced network designers to assist them
in designing their networks. Network designers are working closely with the
local authority engineering departments and enterprise officers in
developing the networks.

Management of the Networks
It is envisaged that the networks will be operated by a neutral, private
sector managed services entity (MSE), providing open-access to the networks
on a cost basis to all interested parties. A Code of Practice will form
the basis for this task. The Department is actively researching the MSE
model.

And it was stated that "the above information, while not exhaustive, should help to fill us in on
the background to current work being carried out in this Department to
further the broadband programme and hence the access to low cost, high speed
internet services."

Out of all of this, there was no mention of Flat rate Dial up for which i have send further communicaitons to the same.

stormkeeper

I noticed something about ESB Telecom... What's going on there?

segadreamcast

That'd be the whole ESB Broadband network thing that some are saying won't work - but then I read something saying it will happen...then again I've read things that said we'd have broadband in 1998...:P

SkepticOne

The ESB thing is not residential broadband.

hmmm

Originally posted by BoneCollector
Since there is now no regulatory impediment to flat rate internet access, it
is ultimately a matter for industry players to offer this rate.

I was saying it a year ago and I still hold to it. The ODTR as led by that clueless muppet are the biggest problem we have. The Government have to rely on the ODTR to give them good advice in this area, and you can just hear the invisible hand of ED at work with "there is now no regulatory impediment".

A free clue for the ODTR - yes we know, we've known for two years, but when do you begin to realise that 'regulatory impediments' are not the problem?

BoneCollector

yes! we all know the real issues but it seems the people that should, DONT! or have the heads stuck! firm in the sand.

As you can imagine i responded in kind as follows..

>Flat Rate Internet Access
>The Department recognizes the need for low cost, high speed internet access

>for both business and residential

Sorry your understanding of the issues is flawed, as you have tryed to combine
2 seperate issues into a single directive/responce which is un-informed and directly
missleading.
They are 2 seperate issues are as follows..

1) Flat rate Dialup (telephony access via normal 56k modem)

2) Flat rate broadband (ADSL and other broadband of which ISDN is NOT a member)


On issue 1)All residential internet users have currently no! flat rate dialup
option and are paying per minute which is currently costing them €6675.00 per
annum to access a 24/7 flate rate 56k dialup to the internet compared to else
where in the world including the UK which will cost the internet user an avarage
of around €150 per annum.

Issue 2) will cost the a resident in ireland 1292.28 per annum for a basic broadband
(before incurring extra charges) a service that is NOT flat rate and is provided
by eircom called i-stream, compaired to everywhere else in europe and the UK
which will cost the avarage internet user €360.00
Once again i repeat Ireland does not Have any! flat rate internet access of
any kind.
Please do not confuse flat rate dialup 56k with flat rate Broadband as they
are completely different in both cost and technology.

The reason these issues exist as i have already repeated in my mail is as a
direct result of the government selling and privatising the whole telecomications
network which has now becom eircom who is! a Monopoly.

>Regulation Act, 2002, includes an amendment which reflects the Government's

>wish to facilitate an appropriate legislative and regulatory environment
>where competitively priced, high quality services can prevail. (extract from

>Act below)
Just before this act was passed recently a directive to Implement "FLAT RATE
DIALUP" was removed! from the legislation and now there is No directive to
implement
an urgently needed utility.

>Since there is now no regulatory impediment to flat rate internet access, it

>is ultimately a matter for industry players to offer this rate. The
>stimulation of the competitive market which will allow this to occur is now

>underway in the broadband rollout programme.

Once again i refere you back to my original mail in which i have pointed out
and i am repeating myself again.. the government created a monopolistic
telecomunications
company called eircom who hold all control of the entire irish communications
network.
The result of this is!! that an potential competitiion who are suppose to compete
against "eircom" have no choice but to purchase From the very same people
they
are suppose to be competing against!???????
HOW!! CAN YOU CALL THIS COMPETITION!??
eircom have demonstrated there monopoly by charging sufficiently high wholesale
price to there competitor as to make it completely uneconomic for any other
competitor to compete with eircom. (this NOT!! Competition this is reselling!)
and since eircom can charge whatever they like, there is no market!
Once again i ask... "how is this government going to address the issues i have
repeatedly outlined in my mails?"

I would ask you to re-examine this and my previous mail and make a more informed
response.
As clearly this department does not comprehend the anormaty or the content regarding
internet access.

I look forward to your response

SkepticOne

Good summary of the situation there IMHO, BoneCollector.