What's going on with IrelandOffline these days?

dahamsta

Can we get an update please?

Thanks,
adam

MDR

probabily better if Dave updated you ...
I will give him a heads up.

Dangger

At a committee get together in Kells on the 1st of February we spent a full day debating and discussing the future role and operation of IrelandOffline, and what it should be doing for the next 6 months. Before I am asked to present minutes and a formal plan I must add that several of the committee members have been extremely busy with other matters of late, and I have recently found myself in the unusual position of actually having to work . So as a result I have nothing to present immediately.

The days discussion was split into two. The first half covering immediate actions, the second, the future and member participation. Right now I can give a summary of the first half from memory.

Items warranting immediate attention include the FRIACO discussions - with which we have decided that we need to do as complete and up-to-date compilation of European operators offerings as soon as possible. We are also expecting the formalisation of the draft Ministerial directives within the next ten days. We are are working towards a critical date at the end of this month, the revelation of the wholesale FRIACO price.

A similar action is required on the wholesale ADSL saga.

The third item which I admit we have been slow to embrace is the whole wireless agenda. We feel its high time we got fully up to speed on the issues (we have recently met with one of the WISP's to discuss barriers and difficulties in operating in Ireland). Wireless is the only thing that can move Ireland on in the short term in relation to last mile connectivity, and together with the New Connection fibre ring plan, I believe that there is potential for local isp's to serve areas which the big boys have decided to ignore. We have recently been approached by a group of UK wireless operators who are soon to be touring the country investigating the wireless potential in Ireland*.

We're also exploring the idea of taking ComReg up on their offer to help the reactivate their consumer discussion panels. This would involve asking for a cross section of the member group to partake in discussions relating to services and service provision in with ComReg.

We also are persuing the possibility of being involved in the Broadband Stakeholders groups which is being set up.

We have also been expanding our membership amongst SME's. This has involved "pimping" (controversial eh?) ourselves at various events around the country. Most recently the impressively attended Leader Conference held in Athlone on the 3rd of February titled "Telecommunciations, avoiding the digital divide in rural Ireland".

We recently submitted a response to the USO consulation with the DCMNR and today will see us submit a response ComReg's USO consultion.

We've still been busy, but I admit even a gap of 3 or 4 weeks in a radio discussion, tv appearance or newspaper article feels like a long time in the life of IrelandOffline. Well it does to me anyway. Now that I am chained to a desk for the next three months I will be doing my best to utilise my time as best as possible to maintain IOFFL's visibility and action, as I am sure the other committee members will be doing also.

I know I have not gone into a detailed analysis of the second half of the Kells internal IOFFL seminar, but we are all still mulling it.

*Adam I have left several messages on your voicemail in relation to this visit.

yellum

Any news on the suggested constitution thats in the sticky ?
Or the Regional Groups idea ?

Dangger

The constitution will not be being brought in until an AGM/EGM, which is not on the cards until June I'd say as people need plenty of notice. I cannot see the regional working groups being tackled properly and discussed in detail in the presence of those who are willing to head them up until an AGM/EGM either.

Any news on the timeline, it would be nice to have it as Irish telecoms history continues to be made around us at an unabated pace.

yellum

The timeline as I stated will be worked on when I have finished with my job which was meant to end in April. I did not commit to it before that, this was made clear when it was suggested.

Read the IRC log again if you want. Theres some things in that that you commited to if I remember and said you'd be have drafts on before December.

elexes

dang didnt know u lot were in athlone for a meeting would of gon and listened in ...

dahamsta

Thanks for the swift reponse guys. Dave, any news on the college chapters? Also, I didn't get your voicemail because I switched to Vodafone, and my notifications were set to SMS, which aren't diverted. If you want to get in touch, just change the prefix to 087, or drop me an email or PM.

adam

DMT

Originally posted by Dangger
We have also been expanding our membership amongst SME's. This has involved "pimping" (controversial eh?) ourselves at various events around the country.

Isn't that all part of lobbying though?

Dangger

Isn't that all part of lobbying though?

Precisely, sorry the controversial comment was in relation to other goings on on the forum.

DeVore

He means me being prickly about commercial entities hawking their wares on this board

Dave, did you want your tagline back? I seem to recall that but then I could have been dreaming...

DeV.

Dangger

Yeah Devore, that would be good. It might cheer me up after losing my new Nokia6310i on the way to an event we were invited to tonight in the Digital Hub, then finding out that my insurance was made out using an incorrect bank a/c number, and coming home to find out that the great data recovery tool I had purchased was not so great after all and will never be able to recovery lost files resulting from another catastrophe because the drive is now too fragmented.

Oh the torture of watching the correct file names and directories magically appear out of the binary soup of a partition only to open them and stare in disbelief at the garballed mess before me. AAAAarrrrrrggggghhhhhh

Dustaz

ouch

PiE

Cheers for the update, this forums been a bit uninteresting for the past week or two

Lawnkiller

A quick word in...

There is a move to try to get the whole college idea underway in W.I.T. ( see here ). Alas - being up to my neck in projects, I don't have enough time to dedicate to this(in fact, the whole comp. soc. committee suffers from this problem at the mo). Just hoping that someone here is either in WIT or knows someone in WIT that can help. I've spoken to a few lecturers who have already expressed interest in lending some support to a properly drafted manefesto and an organised approach.

All we need is someone to lead this...a few ppl have already agreed to help(thank you if you have).

If other colleges want to get in touch with us at the mo contact
the web manager at SNET and your message will be forwarded to the appropriate ppl.

Hope this is helpful.

Boston

We also are persuing the possibility of being involved in the Broadband Stakeholders groups which is being set up.

what do you mean by this?

spongebob

new buzzword, Comreg today announced that there is such a thing as a stakeholder......its in between citizen and a consumer.

With the lack of affordable Broadband in Ireland it is fair to say that the number who would love t have broadband is far greater that then numbers who hve it.

Them fellas are stakeholders. Eircom stuck one through their hearts with their prices.

OHP

Originally posted by elexes
dang didnt know u lot were in athlone for a meeting would of gon and listened in ...

First I have seen of it too. It is only 15 or 20 minutes drive from me. But I would have liked to have known about it

OHP

dahamsta

First I have seen of it too. It is only 15 or 20 minutes drive from me. But I would have liked to have known about it

I knew it was on but I wasn't invited. I sent a spy though.

adam

yellum

It was a private meeting I heard.

b20uvkft6m5xwg

When is the AGM/EGM?

OHP

Originally posted by dahamsta
I knew it was on but I wasn't invited. I sent a spy though.

adam

Well forseen dahamasta. Did you Spy by any chance give you a report on the meeting that you can share with us all? If not just shoot him and get a better one ok :P

OHP

sceptre

Originally posted by yellum
It was a private meeting I heard.

Indeed. A committee meeting if I read Dave's post correctly. (Mod hat off), rumours of sekrit Majestic12-type conferences by IOFFL committee members may be premature. Nothing odd or special about the committee having the odd meeting and not inviting everyone.

dahamsta

Did you Spy by any chance give you a report on the meeting that you can share with us all?

Nope. They don't know they were a spy yet. It wasn't strictly a committee meeting by the way, some others were invited, hence my despondency. The fact that not one person rose to my Bilderberg troll that day only served to deepen a dark depression that was only lifted in recent hours by the dramatic aftereffects of popcorn.

MORE POPCORN! FIGHT THE POWEH! BAN DUSTAZ!

I think I should go to bed now.

adam

sceptre

Originally posted by dahamsta
my Bilderberg troll

Ah, now I get that reference. We're beating up Muck for info then are we:)