ICT Ireland, an industry group representing the hi-tech sector, criticised the Government yesterday for not allocating time in the Dáil to debate a new Bill that would transform the regulatory regime for communications.
Mr Brendan Butler, director of ICT Ireland, said the chance that the legislation would be finalised during the lifetime of the current Government was slim, and there was a danger the Bill would fall.
The Communications Bill, which will go before the Cabinet today, would replace the Office of the Director of Telecommunications Regulation with a three-person commission that was accountable to the Oireachtas.
It would also increase the penalty powers available to the proposed commission and force telecoms and cable firms to apply for permission before digging roads.
But the new Bill, an outline draft of which was published one and a half years ago by the Government, is unlikely to pass into law before the next general election.
"It is ICT Ireland's understanding that no Dáil time has been put aside for debating the Bill and with 37 Bills on the waiting list the chances of the Communications Bill jumping the queue are remote," said Mr Butler.
Mr Butler said ICT Ireland was anxious to see the Bill enacted, and welcomed legislation which had the potential to introduce a degree of certainty in the market during a challenging period.
But he said the proposed Bill would not resolve all the industry's problems and might in fact reduce the effectiveness and transparency of regulation.
"Issues such as flat-rate fees for internet usage and mobile number portability are beyond the scope of the regulator at present and this will remain the case under the proposed legislation," added Mr Butler. He said there was some confusion regarding the enforcement provisions of the Bill which failed to include appropriate appeals mechanisms.
A spokesman for the Minister for Public Enterprise said yesterday Ms O'Rourke was still hopeful that the Bill could get through before Easter. This would depend on the level of co-operation in the Dáil and the attitude of the party whips, he added.
