Noel Dempsey has really pissed off a lot of rural communities after finally admitting that they won’t invest in the Group Broadband Scheme anymore. Despite telling people for all of 2005 and 2006 that all they had to do was apply for a GBS, the last round to apply was some time in 2005. Since then there has been nothing apart from lots and lots of “coming soon” talk from the DCMNR. Rural communities have been strung along since 2005 and were told round three would open in September 2005. Noel, you’ve deceived 1000s of people desperate to get broadband. I hope the voting public remembers that.
With some creative accounting and spin they have reannounced almost all of the same money for nearly all the same plans already announced. For example, the budget of €435m is over 7 years. That’s €62m a year. The DCMNR was already allocated €48m a year so that’s an additional €15m a year. Right… and with inflation probably going to go way up, that’ll make sfa of a difference.
Now, add to that funding of €170Million already announced for the current building of 27 MANs (the fibre rings around towns which don’t actually connect to homes) and future building of 120 MANs. However, now it seems 80 of these MANs are now part of the latest NDP. No new towns have been announced either for MANs yet some towns could do with fibre rings. I’m not a fan of MANs and they are only once piece of the puzzle to get broadband to the end-user yet the Goverment bills they as solving all issues.
It sounds like you really are angry, hence the spelling errors.
But Damien, are you honestly surprised by this?
E,
Of course he’s not surprised ffs. What’s that got to do with the price of eggs?
It’s got feck all to do with the price of eggs.
It’s got loads to do witht he constant complaining about “the government” in general and Comreg in specific.
This approach has produced very little result so far and it is about time that people started looking at alternatives..
E.
Alternatives like your vapourware?
My vapourware, what in godsname are you talking about?!
You might try to inform yourself before spouting non-sensical comemnts like that.
It is always easier to dismiss something that to come up with a well based argument.
E.
Just to answer Damien’s question: by an alternative I mean a non-eircom, non government owned telecoms infra-structure…
E.
I think you are being very unfair on Noel, the man is working wonders.
He has a total of €4m to spend on Digital Television rollot over the lifetime of the NDP, thats to January 2014 when the next one is announced.
Noel is committed to spending €2m this year on Digital TV (DTT or Freeview as its also known) trials. It is a tribute to his utter ingenuity and his high regard for the taxpayer who funds him that Noel has commited that he will deliver Nationwide Digital TV for an expenditure of another €2m in total by January 2014 . He actually proposes to complete digital rollout by end 2012 and turn off the existing system by them
Noel is simply a legend. No other Minister could deliver such bounty for all of us and on such a paltry budget.
I expect that you will fulsomely acknowledge that. in the interests of balance.
I’ve never understood all that money going into MANs. I smell a cosy relationship between the Minister and whoever is building them.
The solution to the rural broadband issue is simple: subsidise mobile operators to rollout HSDPA to those regions. Surely that has got to be cheaper in the long run than any other option?
Pensioners have the option of credits towards a mobile phone contract if they don’t want or haven’t got landlines, so if it can be done in one area, why not another?