Failing To Ask The Obvious Questions

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Minister for Communications Richard Bruton

I live in rural Donegal, about two miles from the nearest village. Eir and others told us that we would need to dig a trench from our house to the public road for a duct to enclose fibre-optic cable. I costed it and the job was coming in at more than €1,000. The works would have involved breaking concrete at the bottom of our driveway.

So I did some research. I contacted 3 mobile, got a wireless mobile router and a booster antenna from Amazon. We now have unlimited data for €30 per month. The booster cost €50.

My concern is this. Are we sleep-walking into spending €3 billion on “last year’s” technology? It seems to me that we may well be.

Experts are invariably conflicted. It’s always better to ask someone whose livelihood doesn’t depend upon the answer.

Over and over again in this country, our biggest and costliest mistakes arise from failing to ask the obvious questions.

Michael Deasy,
Carrigart,
Co Donegal.

Rural broadband and new technology (The Irish Times)

Meanwhile…

Previously: ‘An All-Too Familiar Vista In Major Communications Contracts’

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18 thoughts on “Failing To Ask The Obvious Questions

  1. eoin

    But we had that wonderful audit report from the “independent” lad that no-one ever heard of before – or likely, will never hear from again until the inevitable tribunal – and didn’t that report say the procurement process (in which the independent lad is embedded) was all above board.

    What’s particularly galling now is FG is using the €3 billion broadband contract to buy votes in next month’s elections. Or at least that’s what the Irish Times claimed today

    “[the government] were also fearful that a decision to shelve the project or even to recommence it with an eye to reducing costs would cause outrage in rural Ireland in advance of the local and European elections next month.” and “The Government will then [in a couple of weeks] embark on a major publicity drive to sell the plan, with rural-based Ministers taking a lead role.”

  2. A force for justice

    The next big scandal but sure their pally journalists will let them away with it & ask weak questions after

  3. GiggidyGoo

    Getting into Coup territory now. If only we had an army.
    Time to eject FG. Time for FF to step up to the mark. No excuse like ‘brexit’ for FF now as that’s kicked down the road, as we all knew it would be

    1. Spud

      ‘Time for FF to step up to the mark.’

      Oh I’m sure they’ll do as good a job… even better… given their track record.

    2. Rob_G

      There you have it folks – just when you thought Giggidy’s commentary could not get any more hysterical and detached from reality, he goes and advocates a military coup…

      1. b

        what you see in his post is the crushing reality that an election won’t return a government he supports so his answer is to dispense with democracy

          1. GiggidyGoo

            So you’re Rob G as well? So many identities, so little time eh? You write a post under one identity and reply to yourself under another. Clever boy.

    3. ReproBertie

      “No excuse like ‘brexit’ for FF now as that’s kicked down the road”

      When the HoC comes back from the Easter break the British Taoiseach may just present the Withdrawal Agreement for another vote. If it passes then Sasamach is immediate. If not they have to run EU elections and only then will Sasamach be kicked on to Hallowe’en so FF’s excuse is still in play.

      There’s a theory that Leo will wait for the EU and Local Elections to see how FG do and then, assuming the Brits are still figuring out what Sasamach means, call an election in June or July.

  4. Iwerzon

    Here’s an idea. Why doesn’t everyone in rural Ireland get a wireless 3 mobile router and a booster antenna from Amazon. That would stick it to the man!!!!

  5. realPolithicks

    “Over and over again in this country, our biggest and costliest mistakes arise from failing to ask the obvious questions.”

    The reason they “fail to ask the obvious questions” is that they don’t want to know the answers so they can claim ignorance when the inevitable commission occurs.

  6. Increasing Displacement

    You don’t have unlimited. You have 760gig.
    Which you will never use.
    3 is utter bullpoo lad, and that’s why you’ll get unlimited.
    You can’t get near the limit because speed is atrocious when you actually want to use it
    Wait till a few others in the area start using it and watch your speed plummet until all you watch is the spinning buffering icon every 2 minutes (if you want even 720 HD viewing).

    Wouldn’t go near them with someone else’s router.
    Shower of criminals.

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