Fines for the infringement of the conditions laid down by the telecommunications regulator for the operating of a telecoms licence are to increase from IR£1,500 to €1 million.
The new penalties are one of the regulations included in a proposed new Bill to expand the powers and functions of the telecommunications regulator which was publicised today.
The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms Mary 0’Rourke TD, told the IBEC Telecoms Forum in Dublin today that she would be requesting Cabinet go-ahead for the Communications (Regulation) Bill next week.
The main points of the Bill are:
- To transform the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation into a three-person Commission
- To restrict the powers of telecommunications companies to disrupt traffic flow by opening roads for cable laying
- To greatly increase the powers of enforcement of the new Communications Commission; penalties for breaches of licence conditions by operators will be increased substantially.
The Minister said that the expansion of the Regulator’s office to a Commission reflected the massive growth in workload of the office and the increasing complex nature of the tasks and rulings which had to be implemented.
"The communications Sector is an important contributor to Ireland’s objective of being at the vanguard of the information society and electronic commerce," Ms O’Rourke said.
"In order to ensure that we have an efficient and effective communications sector we need to have a regulatory framework for the sector which facilitates ongoing industry investment, competition and service quality."
The Bill will also set out a clear accountability framework for the new body in relation to Government, the Oireachtas, industry and the public.
If enacted, the Bill will also restrict the ability of companies to "open roads" for cable laying.
"There is a lot of concern about the extent of road openings by telecoms companies," she added.
Under the existing legislation, telecommunications operators have the right to open roads subject to notification.
"This will be replaced by a requirement for consent from road authorities. The framework for consents by road authorities will be set out in the legislation in order to ensure clarity and fairness as well as a consistent approach throughout the country."