IrelandOffline response to Ministerial draft policy direction.

Dangger

View the complete submission here.

IrelandOffline press release:

"Minister must insist on €30 per month price cap for basic internet access."

· Always on, affordable, internet access must be defined as an urgent necessity.
· Fast (broadband) access measures must be itemised and speeded up.

Today Ireland Offline launched its response to Communication's Minster Dermot Ahern's draft Directive on Telecoms Regulation. The affordable internet campaign group described Ireland as the most expensive country in Europe to send an email and insisted that Ireland's economic future was at stake unless the Government pushes hard to make internet access much
cheaper.

Ireland Offline Chairman David Long congratulated Minister Ahern on his enthusiasm to exercise his new powers arising from recent legislation. However he urged the Minister to tighten up very firmly on the instructions he is about to issue to the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). "This is a once off opportunity for the Minister to demonstrate his determination to bring the average Irish citizen on-line. The regulators need to get the message that the Minister wants to see action and
that he will accelerate any legislation needed to make sure prices come down and fast connections get rolled out." Said Mr Long

IrelandOffline's submission makes several specific demands:

Flat-rate, basic internet access must be available at no more than €30 per month. "We are urging the Minister to use his powers under the legislation to define "affordable" internet access as an always on, basic internet connection costing not more than €30 per month.

"We welcome ComReg's recent announcements concerning flat rate agreements between operators. However we have yet to see retail prices and are not convinced that competition will drive prices down far enough. Even €30 per month would be high by European standards. Market research shows that a more expensive flat rate product will not be taken up by those who could benefit most from this sort of product - students, carers, those with disabilities, families with children.. Unless the flat rate offering is affordable most Irish citizens won't really embrace the internet." Mr Long said.

Broadband roll out to all parts of the country must be accelerated with an action plan and timetable.
"The Minister's draft instructions to ComReg on this point are very wishy washy. Instead IOFFL is calling on the Minister to demand a report from ComReg within three months with specific, substantial, regulatory measures and timescales to be taken to further the national objective on roadband and any legislation required to implement these measures."

Local initiatives and new entrants must be facilitated.
The campaign also included various other proposals in its response to the Minister , which are detailed in the attached submission. Included in these are an emphasis on regulating for local solutions by local providers and steps to protect new entrants during periods of economic downturn.

View the complete submission here.

ElNino

Keep up the good work, David.

You are doing a great job.

Dangger

Thank you, but I must stress that IrelandOffline is not a solo effort! This response is very much Xian's baby! Many contributed, for which we are greatful, but he steered this one!

SkepticOne

Well done Xian.

De Rebel

Xian, Dave, the rest of the committee, and anybody else who contributed: that is a job very very well done. Both the submission and the press release are top class. Concise, succinct and comprehensive. Very very professional. Take a bow, IOFFL!

MDR

Well done chaps ...

sceptre

Nice job chaps. I especially like the way the price point is being emphasised.

dahamsta

Ireland Offline says EUR30 is plenty (ENN)

Irish lobby group Ireland Offline said on Friday that Communications Minister Dermot Ahern must insist on a EUR30 monthly price cap for basic Internet access.

In a decision notice this week, the regulator ComReg set out a detailed timescale that will let operators purchase a wholesale Internet access product (FRIACO) from Eircom by the end of February 2003. This would mean operators could start offering retail packages to end users no later than the end of June 2003.

Ireland Offline welcomed this move, which will finally see the introduction of flat-rate more than a decade after the first popular Internet service providers set up in Ireland. But the group is anxious about pricing and said it will be "pointless" to introduce any flat-rate service of more than EUR30 a month.

The pressure group is calling for the cap to apply for a basic Internet connection only, not high-speed broadband. Ireland Offline Chairman David Long said he was concerned because the Minister had used the word "affordable" only in reference to broadband services when he delivered his draft Directive on Telecoms Regulation.

Long said it's critical that a lower-priced, lower-speed option be available to Irish Internet users, including budget-conscious families and businesses. Such a service would let users connect to the Internet over a dial-up connection and stay connected all day for a set price.

[...]

yellum

Looks like they're publishing the replies. I hope Eircom and Esat replied. Would love to see what they said.

Dear Mr (my surname here),

I refer to your submission regarding the draft policy direction and I
would like to thank you for your contribution to the consultation process. The submissions received are now being evaluated and it is expected that the consultation report and the policy direction will be finalised shortly.

During the consultation process we received a number of requests to publish the submissions received. We are now considering posting all of the submissions received on the Department's website for information and transparency purposes.

Should you have any objection to your submission being published in full, please let me know in writing to the address below or by e-mail to joanne.mccormack@dcmnr.ie. If I do not hear from you by Friday, 7 February 2003 I will assume that you have no objections to your document being made available on the website.

I trust this is satisfactory however, if you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact me.

Kind regards.

Yours sincerely,


Joanne McCormack
Executive Officer
Communications, Regulatory Affairs Division
Dept of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources
44 Kildare St
Dublin 2