Government reviewing broadband strategy

Xian

Review of broadband plan sparks fears of cutbacks
Irish Times, Wednesday October 30
By Jamie Smyth
The review has raised fears among proponents of the strategy that the Minister for Finance, Mr McCreevy, may significantly scale back the project when he announces the Budget this year.
Forfás has contracted Mr Ira Magaziner, the former US technology tzar of the Clinton administration, to evaluate whether the strategy is the most cost-effective way to build internet infrastructure in the regions. He is expected to complete a report by the end of the year and in recent weeks has held discussions with several local authorities who are managing the local build-out plan.
[T]he current review is being carried out at a sensitive time for the project and the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources has already had to implement cuts of €20 million in its broadband budget.
Industry sources told The Irish Times yesterday that a division within the Department of Finance had expressed scepticism about certain "architecture issues" of the project. It is believed the Department thinks it would be more prudent to roll out DSL technology rather than fibre.
Mr. Magaziner may also investigate whether it would be feasible to use existing fibre optic networks owned by Eircom, which are currently unused. Some critics of the Government's plans believe that "lighting" this fibre network may serve the same purpose, at a fraction of the cost, as building out new fibre networks.
A spokesman for the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources said broadband strategy would proceed and the funding had already been allocated to it. He said the review would focus on the broader issues of what technologies were appropriate for the broadband strategy.

To say it clearly, as far as it goes this is a good plan. The fact that it does not go far enough, namely the last mile, is the only aspect of it which should be up for review.

Dustaz

I find this totally encouraging. They have gone to someome who probably knows what they are talking about for advice. To date there have been enourmous mistakes made in this project (the last mile for example), not out of corruption, but out of lack of foresight and knowledge.

I have no doubt this guy will look at the situation and see what we all see. He will probably make some very good recommendations. The question is whether the government will listen or not.


Good news on the whole tho

MDR

Some critics of the Government's plans believe that "lighting" this fibre network may serve the same purpose, at a fraction of the cost, as building out new fibre networks.

Amen to that...

Sounds very similar to something we've been saying.

BigEejit

Mr. Magaziner may also investigate whether it would be feasible to use existing fibre optic networks owned by Eircom, which are currently unused

At an approapriately extortionate rate of course ...

De Rebel

A lot of this makes good sense. Getting the county councils involved in digging trenches and planting fibre was daft and only happened to safe political face.

There are two worrying aspects.

The involvement of Finance and external expert consultants always brings up the possibility of someone starting to mutter things like "fundamental review", "fresh approach", "consultation", "strategy review", "formulate a plan", "establish a committee" etc. etc. In other words, stop spending money and do nothing for 3 years while we develop (another?) master plan.

The other worrying involvement is that shower of pen pushers in Forfas, the people who single-handedly solved Irish unemployment by hiring most of the unemployables (well those that wern't already employed in Eircom's Customer Care). Forfas have the capacity and knack of talking any project to a grinding halt.

A lot *appears* to be happening on the adsl-broadband and fraico fronts at the moment. Now that we finally have some impetus, i'm not sure I'd be too keen to welcome a potential show stopper.

Like I said at the outset, lots of good sense in the article, but a worrying undercurrent.

Xian

Originally posted by De Rebel
Like I said at the outset, lots of good sense in the article, but a worrying undercurrent.

My sentiments exactly. It smacks of political 'giving with one hand and taking with the other' following so soon on foot of the flat-rate directive. It's best to keep your eye on this.

SkepticOne

The Government is already paying ESAT and Eircom to roll out DSL. My concern with this is that ESAT will get one area and Eircom another and there would be little competitive pressure for prices to come down. The good thing, however, is that DSL would be rolled out.

I don't believe it is a good strategy to base everything on one technology.

I'm in favour of the fibre rings project for reasons other than affordable residential broadband. It is mainly a way of encouraging industry outside the major cities.

dahamsta

The Government is already paying ESAT and Eircom

Why ESAT? Why the caps I mean, just out of curiousity.

Nothing to see here.

adam

SkepticOne

donno.