Government Fails to Support Calls for Universal Broadband Provision
6.18.2006
Not sure if this missive from the desk of Labour's press office get mentioned online or in the press but is seems that our dearest government are reluctant to make amends for the whoring off of Eircom and support a European provision for the universal provision of broadband services*.
Some quotes from the press release;
"Last year the European Commission issued a proposal on extending the USO to include broadband internet services. Under the USO basic fixed line telephone services are available at an affordable price to all citizens. There is also a postal USO where all households and businesses are entitled to a postal delivery on every working day.
...
However information released yesterday to my colleague Proinsais De Rossa MEP from the European Commissioner Viviane Reding, indicated that the Government failed to make any submission on the development of a broadband USO. Rather they subsequently supported a decision on foot of this consultation process to exclude broadband internet services and mobile telephony services from the scope of universal service."
All bloggers and many more besides have their Eircom horror stories. The company has a terrible, and deserved, reputation for service issues and general couldnt be arsedness about the rollout of anything above telephony. Of course they are more than willing to drag proposals to unbundle the last mile-one of their few remaining assets (thanks Tony & Co.)-through the courts to delay the prospect of letting semi-decent company deal with the issues. The selling of the company with no provision for state/social input into the direction of telephony services in the state was a terrible error but one which could have been avoided. It was folly and shortsighted to fob it off.
If someone was going to run a company into the ground, cease the rollout of decent services and treat the customers like shit, while all the time stripping assets and burdening the company with mind-boggling debt and running off with the profit, why couldnt it be the state? At least the pension fund would be healthy.
Instead of atoning for and admitting the mistake, Dempsey true to character perseveres in stubborn intransigence. Wonderful.
* Which of course strips open that EU dilemma, it has the ability to parachute good law over shit government but also stands to parachute bad law over our will.
UPDATE: Thanks to Damien Mulley in the comments for pointing out that Labour didnt make any submission to the Commission on this proposal either. Glasshouses?
Categories: Irishpolitics, Government, Europe, Broadband
Labour also never made a submission. I believe IrelandOffline did though. The EU themselves stated Universal broadband won't happen for a number of years. They didn't discourage any country from doing it though. They pretty much have univseral BB in NI.
THat is interesting and it seems slightly hypocritical to be giving out over it if they hadnt submitted anything themselves.
Does anyone in power really give a shit about providing broadband for the country?
Dempsey actually did admit they made a mistake with Eircom. He said so on The Political Party.
Of course, it won't stopped them making the same mistake again.
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