Building the Knowledge Society - Department of Communications ...

Building the Knowledge Society Information Society Commission 94\ Initial Recommendations to GovernmentThe following are the Commission’s initial recommendations to Government:BroadbandAccelerating Progress1 Government needs to accelerate significantly the pace of progress in implementing itsbroadband strategy, including putting in place as quickly as possible the PPP-typearrangement to integrate management of the Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) projects.Coherence2 There should be a clear sense of overall strategic direction by Government to ensure that thevarious agencies that have an involvement in the area of telecommunications infrastructuredevelopment act coherently to achieve its objectives.Backbone Infrastructure3 The potential role that the fibre assets of semi-state bodies might have to play in meetingbroadband policy objectives and stimulating competition needs to be given carefulconsideration.Regulation4 The Minister for Communications should provide a clear policy framework and strategicdirection to underpin the work of Comreg, including its role in realising policy objectives.The legislation underpinning the new regulatory regime must also be kept under reviewto ensure that it is adequate to support public policy needs and is sufficiently responsiveto any changes in the external environment.5 The Minister for Communications should ensure that ComReg includes as part of its remita focus on an independent complaints procedure for dispute resolution between operatorsand customers.Planning Process6 As highlighted by Forfás, Government needs to quickly complete work on the developmentof a consistent set of regulations for use by local planning authorities in order to providecertainty as to costs and administrative requirements, underpinned by appropriate legislation.Common guidelines for managing telecommunications infrastructure needs in the context ofnew planning permissions should also be finalised and put in place as soon as possible.Information on Infrastructure7 Government should put appropriate arrangements in place to ensure that good qualityindependent information on telecommunications infrastructure is available, including qualitymapping, to support ongoing planning and policy development.