Letter from Dermot Ahern, T.D.,

bawnboy

Letter from Dermot Ahern, T.D.,



Today I received from my local T.D. a compliments slip with a reply to a letter I sent to him in January 2002 and which he forwarded to Dermot Ahern T.D. Minister for Communications; Marine & Natural Resources.

I OCRed the the reply from the minister but if anyone needs to see the original I could mail a jpg of it.

I would be happy to have comments and suggestions for a reply to my T.D. which he will forward to the minister. I have already sent the link http://www.eircomtribunal.com/ to my T.D. but not yet had any comment from him or his secretary.

Bawnboy

<Letter from minister>

Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources Dublin 2.

An Roinn Cumarsaide, Mara agus Acmhainni Nadurtha Baile Atha Cliath 2.

Xxxxxx Xxxxx, T.D., His private address was here, Cavan.

20 August 2002

Dear Xxxxxxx,

I refer further to your recent correspondence regarding IrelandOffline.

Broadband communications networks have become an important piece of enabling

economic infrastructure in recent years. The importance of broadband is based

on the emergence of Internet and e-mail as key business tools.

In Ireland this broadband connectivity is being brought to regional and low

population-density areas. The provision of communications infrastructure is,

in the first instance, a matter for companies operating in the fully

liberalised communications sector. Recognising that not all areas will be

developed at the same rate due to varying degrees of attractiveness to

telecommunications investors, the Government has undertaken a number of

initiatives to develop and promote investment in communications

infrastructure and services in the less developed parts of the country by

working in partnership with communications service providers. Whether it is

with fibre-optic cable, coaxial cable, across copper wire or through wireless

media, this Government is committed to working in partnership with

telecommunications services providers to ensure the widest possible

availability of these services.

In the final year of the National Development Plan 1994-1999, the Government

made €26 million available to support the roll-out of broadband to the

regions. 13 projects which rolled-out broadband nationwide were supported and

are now nearing completion.

The figure allocated to telecommunications initiatives by this Government has

been significantly increased under the National Development Plan, 2000-2006,

to almost €200 million. A first Call for Proposals was run last year end on

foot of submissions received the Department of Public Enterprise entered 9

contracts at the beginning of the year which will result in additional

investment in the regions in broadband infrastructure. The projects involved

will be completed over the next two years and will entail overall investment

of €160 million in broadband leveraged from grant assistance of

approximately 55 million euros.

On March 8th 2002, the Government announced a major drive to bring high speed

broadband access to 67 priority towns around the country.

Phase one of the broadband programme will see 19 towns targeted immediately.

Metropolitan area fibre optic networks will be built in these towns to link

up with the existing backbone-network in the country: The town links will

facilitate consumers, educational establishments, industry and business and

provide `always on' low cost and high speed Internet access which will drive

the Government's e-commerce agenda.

The first phase is being conducted in association with local and regional

authorities which will receive 90% funding from the Exchequer. A total of 44

million Euro is allocated this year in the Department of Public Enterprise

vote for the project, which should be completed in full next year at a full

cost of 60 million Euro.

Phase two will witness the expansion of broadband networks in the remaining

48 towns. This will be completed through a Public Private Partnership and

involve a total investment of approximately 100 million Euro. Phase two

should be completed within three years.

Phase three ( which is contingent on the success of the first two phases)

will involve rolling out the programme to cover all 123 towns in the State

with a population of 1,500 or over and the target date for completion is five

years.

Further information is available on the Internet at www.ndpcomms.gov.ie



My proposals in relation to regulatory reform of the communications sector

are designed to ensure that the regulatory conditions in Ireland are

effective in stimulating a competitive market for communications services,

including Internet services. In this regard I am confident that the

Communications Regulation Act will enhance the regulatory framework so as to

further facilitate the development of the sector while ensuring that

appropriate elements of the public interest are taken into account.

I understand that while the legislation was being debated in the Dail, the

previous Minister considered the merits of amendments relating to flat rate

internet access put forward by interested parties and decided to table an

amendment for the Report Stage which was a compromise proposal agreed by all

parties. This amendment inserted a new subsection into the Act at Section

12(2)(c)(v) which reads:



-(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


This amendment now stands as part of the Act, which was recently signed into

Law by the President.

I have no doubt that this amendment represents a significant improvement in

the current position.

yours sincerely,

Dermot Ahern, T.D.,

Minister for Communications; Marine & Natural Resources.

</Letter from minister>

Sorry the OCR didn't work better, I would have fixed it it I had noticed it earlier but it is late, so better get this on line as it is before I head for the bed.

Clamor

I keep noticing that in nearly every mail that get's printed from a TD they keep giving us great plans with a 5 year timeline. It's a bit weird this really. They seem to know that the majority of people wont remember what was said 5 years ago. ( I know there are some good researchers among us that would make the effort to find these thing out) but for the most part a 5 year promise is a mind game.
I have yet to see a decent timeline for any project with someone been accountable for delivering a report on progress say every six months. It could in theory read "today the government announces the establishment of new broadband (note this is not Eircom 'High Speed') arrival to every population center greater than 10,000" Six months later would follow an update in the press, "Ireland joins world on-line community", but decided there's nothing of interest 'thanks to the ODTR for the spin there'.
Should we not remind our elected TD, we have a whole bunch of new one's now since the election that, although promises can and invariable will be broken, that we have memories and should remind them every possible chance there is that press statement may comeback to haunt them, repeatedly.
Sorry I believe I may have gone off topic a bit.:rolleyes:

dahamsta

Useless Minister, can't say Mass.

adam

BoneCollector

You have to laugh! realy!!
its all Bulllsh*t
especialy the amendment that what put in place of the original text.
the original text was quite specific in what it said, and directly effected Ercom in its contect, the current amendment is completely up to interpretation and imposes no obligation on anyone

and as i keep sending mails back to the dpt of (whatever its called) telling them that all this investment and dev is Buiness development and not residnetial internet access.

Slutmonkey57b

Just an obvious couple of points that should be returned forthwith:

The first phase is being conducted in association with local and regional
authorities which will receive 90% funding from the Exchequer. A total of 44 million Euro is allocated this year in the Department of Public Enterprise
vote for the project, which should be completed in full next year at a full
cost of 60 million Euro.

Then the companies involved have no (0) excuse for not having enabled these exchanges since the cost of converting and connecting them has been borne by the government. Yet "cost" is still used as an excuse.
Since this "cost" will also be mostly borne by the government for future exchange conversions, there is no reason not to go ahead with it now.

... 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

This is utterly meaningless. "encouraging" by "reasonable measures" means "sitting about on our hands hoping the companies give it up."

I have no doubt that this amendment represents a significant improvement in the current position.

yours sincerely,

Dermot Ahern, T.D.,

Minister for Communications; Marine & Natural Resources.

You are utterly wrong sir.

vinnyfitz

Don't try and bamboozle us Minister, just tell us what the Commission is expected to do (i.e. what have you instructed them to do?) so as to assure internet access at reasonable cost?

Maybe someone would like to make a Freedom of Information request to the FOI officer in the Department of Communications, Kildare St, Dublin 2, seeking all correspondence between the ODTR and the Department on the interpretation of and implementation of section 12(2)(c)(v) of the Communications Regulation Act 2002 and to obtain any documentation in the Department relating to the interpretation of the term "internet access at reasonable cost".

Cond0r

Originally posted by vinnyfitz
Maybe someone would like to make a Freedom of Information request to the FOI officer in the Department of Communications, Kildare St, Dublin 2, seeking all correspondence between the ODTR and the Department on the interpretation of and implementation of section 12(2)(c)(v) of the Communications Regulation Act 2002 and to obtain any documentation in the Department relating to the interpretation of the term "internet access at reasonable cost".

How would one go about this?
I'd be interested in doing it actually.

NeMiSiS

That bosco was just on the radio..
He was being bitched at about public spending cuts etc etc etc..anyways that 44 million that he speaks of has now been cut to 20..it was radio1 with pat kenny you can probably hear the show on their site..

all the best

NeM

dahamsta

How would one go about this? I'd be interested in doing it actually.

You could pretty much copy what vinnyfitz said word-for-word and send it to the Dept of Communications or the ODTR. Seriously, it's as simple as that. They have to respond within a defined period (4 weeks), and provide you with any documents that are relevant to your query. A fee will be charged, but it should be affordable and they can only charge costs. If it's over a certain amount (€50), they have to notify you to give you a chance to amend your query. Loads of info here:

http://www.odtr.ie/foi.asp

adam

ednwireland

yeh we are back to the old chesnut the government are liars they went on a big spending spree before the last election and the electorate bought it. if you voted ff/pd you deserve everything you don't get

Dangger

Thank you bawnboy. I've added it to the IOFFL site.

Stonemason

I love this bit

In the final year of the National Development Plan 1994-1999, the Government made €26 million available to support the roll-out of broadband to the

regions. 13 projects which rolled-out broadband nationwide were supported and

are now nearing completion.

Sure thats ok starting in 1994 its only taken them 8 years to get 10 houses in limerick and 7 and three quaters in dublin broadband enabled.

De Rebel

Originally posted by Stonemason
I love this bit




Sure thats ok starting in 1994 its only taken them 8 years to get 10 houses in limerick and 7 and three quaters in dublin broadband enabled.

Brilliant stonemason. If might was right they would have done 6 houses in cork and mine would have been one of them ...

spongebob

Note

13 projects which rolled-out broadband nationwide were supported and ...

Broadband is now available in! (this is one project from the old suir-nore relays)

Kilkenny
Clonmel
Thurles

Also

Limerick City
Dublin


That makes 3 projects. Where are the other 10?

M

Stonemason

Anyone got a really long cable thurles is only half an hours drive from me .

Fallschirmjager

excellent comment stonemason...


my particular favourite

'The importance of broadband is based

on the emergence of Internet and e-mail as key business tools'


jeeze do ya think....oh wait relax it is only E M E R G I N G -- we dont need to worry then....

how can you say that the internet is emerging....holy bat **** batman the intenet is emerging..


we have probelms, people, lots of them....