Vol. 500 No. 6
73 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Public Enterprise if she has satisfied herself that Ireland is putting in place the best possible structures to enable access to state-of-the-art technology in the telecommunications industry; if she has further satisfied herself that access to this technology will be at a competitive rate; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [4732/99]
The provision of telecommunications infrastructure and services is a matter primarily for the market operators. The Government's primary objective is to ensure that the telecommunications sector develops in a manner that ensures the availability in Ireland of internationally competitive communications' services and infrastructure. Government action in this regard includes the introduction of full competition in the telecommunications market from 1 December 1998; establishing of an independent Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation to ensure full and fair competition in the telecommunications market; the sale of Cablelink and the initial public offering of Telecom Eireann; the introduction of primary legislation to promote infrastructural development; establishing the Advisory Committee on Telecommunications, with experts of international repute, which reported to Government in December advising on how to position Ireland to capitalise on the electronic commerce opportunities; signing of a US-Ireland Joint Communiqué on Electronic Commerce which identifies shared principles and points of common interest held by Ireland and the US in relation to the development of electronic commerce; the publication of a Framework for a National Policy on Cryptography and Electronic Signatures; a Bill on electronic signatures is currently being worked on in my Department and it should be published later this year; the development of a proposal to establish a public private partnership to enhance Ireland's international connectivity to global telecommunications' networks; seeking proposals to deploy EU structural funding to develop advanced communications' networks; developing a proposal to establish a North-South Digital Corridor between Belfast and Dublin which would complement existing infrastructural investments in high speed rail and road transport between the two cities; pressing for low cost internet access for Irish businesses and consumers to bring us into line with other countries with an established Internet presence; and developing a policy approach to the introduction of digital broadcasting in Ireland.
