NOEL DEMPSEY, the soon-to-be-replaced Irish Minister for Communications, has released one of the most disingenuous public tendering documents. Dempsey's an intelligent man, probably the smartest head seated around the cabinet table, but his map of Ireland's broadband coverage is so malformed that it damns thousands to dial-up coverage for the next century. Here's the real map of Ireland's broadband coverage. To most news presenters, Dempsey has parted the dial-up waters just weeks before the general election and that's only good news for all. The real story is that small wireless operators will be hurt by State subsidies given to larger operators. And those operators have no incentive for roll-out of services that meet the most pressing needs of consumers.
Ireland Offline -- "Thousands Still Go Without"
Damien Mulley -- "The National Broadband Tender" as described on his blog. Too bad Damien Mulley's Twitter account blocks direct contact.
