Results 3,481-3,500 of 34,778 for speaker:Seán Fleming

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: That is no thanks to the regulator but is due to the providers wanting to attract customers.

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: People look to the regulator to protect customers. It is the luck of God, goodwill and commercial activity that some of the operators have exceeded the commission's targets. Why did the regulator set such low targets compared with the 2G licence which required 99% coverage?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: They are lower than what people with mobile telephones were used to. The regulator reduced the requirement under the licence. I have heard a lower figure than 85% coverage cited for some of the other operators. Please forward the information to the committee. I am disappointed that people bought or upgraded their old mobile telephones but the regulator knew all long that there was...

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: My question on Sky.

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Who regulates Sky's signal in Ireland?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Is there an equivalent to the role of Commission for Communications Regulation in the United Kingdom that is responsible for regulating Sky?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Does ComReg have a role?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: In his opening paragraph, Mr. Chisholm states, "The Commission for Communications Regulation, known as ComReg, is the national regulatory authority for the electronic, communications and postal sectors". Is Facebook not an electronic communication?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: When we read Mr. Chisholm's presentation and then he states that ComReg has no role in relation to social media does he understand that people would expect ComReg to have that role? Who should regulate Facebook, if ComReg does not regulate it?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: We have been told that 36% of houses have subscribed to broadband and 65% of houses receive broadband. What is the difference? Does that mean that 35% of houses in Ireland have no broadband?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: I have two specific questions. Mr. Chisholm referred to Eircom's contract as an universal service provider and it being fined €525,000 because it did not meet its fault repair targets under the terms of the universal service provider contract. That fine was paid to ComReg.

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Were the customers who were left without the service for the extended period compensated by the money that resulted from the fine paid by Eircom?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Chairman, if that is a provision of the legislation, we should recommendation that it be revisited. If Eircom's customers were left without a phone service for a time in excess of an acceptable period, and Eircom had to pay a sum of money in lieu of not meeting its contract, in my opinion it would be logical to compensate the customer who was left without a service.

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: I will now address my questions to Mr. Dermot Nolan from the Commission for Energy Regulation, CER. Does CER regulate Eirgrid?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: I have put this question to both ESB and Eirgrid and I now wish to hear Mr. Nolan's response. Under the Grid 25 Plan, it is proposed to generate electricity through renewable energy and run pylons from the west to the population on the east coast. Mr. Nolan and I know that people will not want to see the erection of pylons across the landscape on the scale proposed. We both know this...

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Does CER have a role in regard to the east-west interconnector that is under the Irish Sea because that facilitates the importation of electricity and the possible export of electricity in the future? There are proposals for wind farms and I am sure Mr. Blaney is aware that people want to produce electricity for the export market. Will the commission be regulating that generation of...

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Has there been interference?

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Perhaps Mr. Blaney might help me then by outlining what agency I could raise the issue with, given that he says the commission has no role in it. This is what normally happens. One deals with a planning authority which says it does not deal with health matters and when we go to the commission, it says it is not under its remit and that it is a matter of public health. When I go to the HSE,...

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: Is the commission prevented from examining matters people raise on renewable energy? One would assume the regulator would not have to be told to look after public health if approving something that could have an impact on health. Mr. Blaney is saying that unless it is specified in the legislation that the commission should do something then it will not do it. I do not buy that approach.

Public Accounts Committee: Commission for Aviation Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Communications Regulation - Financial Statement 2011
Commission for Energy Regulation - Financial Statement 2011 (17 Jan 2013)

Seán Fleming: I will conclude on this point. I will be happy if the commission just examines the issue. In recent months a Private Member’s Bill has been produced on the topic by Deputy Penrose. The issue has been raised in the Oireachtas and this is an opportunity to talk to the electricity regulator to ascertain the position. Perhaps the commission could examine the Private Member’s...