Ms Vivienne Jupp, chairman of the Information Society Commission, likes to stress the word "society". Just as steam engines triggered the industrial society, she says information technology is merely the enabler of the information society.

Ms Jupp, a partner with Andersen Consulting, identifies three priorities in the new report. The first is faster progress towards greater competition in the telecommunications marketplace, to "better enable delivery of low-cost bandwidth". Bandwidth is key to adoption of information technology, as new services will require faster data channels.

Her second priority is that the Government should implement outstanding EU directives in a copyright Bill, even if this needs additional resources. This is necessary, she says, because we have "zero or very low" copyright protection in this State.

Ms Jupp's final priority is to maximise efforts to tackle the emerging skills shortage in the IT sector. The report welcomes second and third-level initiatives to promote IT education, but says this needs ongoing attention.

The commission acts as an adviser to Government, but Ms Jupp will not be drawn on whether it has urged the sale of Telecom Eireann's 75 per cent share of Cablelink.

However, she says the Government recognises that the current situation inhibits competition, and she calls for greater competition: "We want greater access, and we want low cost access, and we want value-added services."

She wants "something different" to be done with Cablelink, so it can compete in all fields, including television transmission, Internet service provision, and telephone communications.

On digital broadcasting, she calls for Government guidelines to avoid its haphazard introduction. The report says this is an urgent matter, and Ms Jupp says the commission will further address this over the coming year. RTE currently has a proposal for digital terrestrial broadcasting before the Government.

The commission's report says little about plans for a high infrastructure digital park, or about the content industry, identified as a key growth area in last year's steering group report. Ms Jupp compares the digital park to the IFSC as a showcase to "kick start" the content industry. as carried out a feasibility study last year, and a spokesman says recommendations on a number of issues, including possible locations for the park, have been forwarded to the Department of Enterprise and Employment.

Ms Jupp is a keen supporter of a "strong and independent" director of telecommunications regulator. She says the big issue for the regulator, Ms Etain Doyle, now seven months in office, is preparation for deregulation of the domestic telephone market in 2000. "We want to see a level playing field," she says.