IBEC has criticised the recently published Telecommunications Bill 1996 as being inadequate and claims it will not lead to the establishment of the necessary telecommunications regulatory framework required in Ireland.

The areas not addressed are tariff regulation and powers of the regulator, which is described as "powerless" compared with Britain. IBEC also contends that the regulator should not be a civil servant. The proposal of setting a price cap is described as unsatisfactory. Instead, IBEC wants a fixed price mechanism for two years, after which the price should be determined by the regulator.