Here’s the headline from my newspaper this week (Irish Times March 10, 2010):
The report, which came out the day after the article, calls for ubiquitous broadband by 2010 and speeds of 1Gbps by 2012. Here are their specific recommendations:
Key Recommendation
Given the critical need for advanced broadband services in building a highly innovative enterprise sector, the nationwide roll-out of Next Generation Network (NGN) services, for bandwidth up to and surpassing 1Gbps, should be prioritised.Supporting Recommendations
- Extend building regulations to facilitate the provision of high speed broadband;
- Ensure that the provision of broadband infrastructure is intrinsic in all State investment plans (e.g. roads, water distribution and meters, drainage works, smart electricity meters, etc.), including Local Authority plans;
- Reduce the costs of providing telecoms and broadband services by reviewing planning rules, reducing charges, and developing consistent charges and processes across local authorities;
- Facilitate provision of access to public ducting infrastructure by establishing the planned “one stop shop”;
- Ensure a clear, predictable and technology neutral, regulatory approach to NGN;
- Government procurement should be used where appropriate to stimulate the provision of high quality symmetric broadband (e.g. eSchools, eHealth and eGovernment initiatives).
I thought that this would be a good reminder to folks back home that as we move our broadband plans forward, everyone is else is moving forward too. Ireland is much smaller than Minnesota, so in many ways developing infrastructure is easier – but when we’re both courting the same businesses size won’t matter. Infrastructure will.
