In Brief: Ireland prods broadband loop competition
Ireland's communication ministry is seeking a more active role in encouraging competition and expansion of the nation's struggling broadband industry.
In a speech Wednesday Communications Minister Noel Dempsey said he would seek legal powers that would allow ComReg to "investigate and take action on issues such as abuse of dominance."
Dempsey said regulation and investment were the keys to broadband expansion investigation and regulation, and ComReg lacked the needed regulatory muscle.
ElectricNews.net said Thursday that Dempsey's remarks came on the heels of a breakdown in negotiations between telecom major Eircom and other telcos seeking access to Eircom's transmission infrastructure. The need for Local Loop Unbundling by Eircom is considered a major hurdle in the expansion of broadband to underserved reaches of the Emerald Isle.
He also called on Eircom and the other parties to return to the table and hammer out an agreement on LLU access in four weeks.
Copyright 2006 by United Press International
