Cullen in spat with eircom boss

COMMUNICATIONS Minister Martin Cullen publicly rebuked Dr Phil Nolan of eircom at the IMI conference in Druids Glen, Co Wicklow, yesterday.

The eircom chief executive claimed the privatised group has delivered broadband to the nation, a claim with which Mr Cullen sharply disagreed.

When Dr Nolan made the claim Mr Cullen interjected and said the company only got up off of its “a..e” when the Government, through ComReg, created more competition for eircom in the market.

In that context the minister expressed serious concern that deregulation in Europe was falling way behind Ireland and America.

“Europe better just wake up,” he said.

Was that a vote of Boston over Berlin asked broadcaster Olivia O’Leary, who chaired the session about privatisation and regulation in the Irish market.

Responding to questions about infrastructure, Mr Cullen accepted that outside Dublin the roads situation left a lot to be desired. “There was massive under-investment for years, but we are now catching up. The scale of investment taking place in Ireland is unparalleled with the rest of Europe.”

In the light of the huge challenges coming down the line, both the minister and former Aer Lingus boss Willie Walsh talked about the need for an open skies policy between the US and the rest of Europe.

Ireland would benefit significantly from a change in that policy.

The deterrent to US airlines from flying to Ireland is huge, he said.

It is like a hotel chain wanting to build a hotel in Dublin being told they have to build one in Shannon also in order to get permission to build in Dublin, Mr Walsh said.

In the overall context of Aer Lingus and the second terminal, the minister said: “I am seeking to address all these issues in a holistic way and intend to present an integrated set of proposals to my Cabinet colleagues in the next number of weeks.”

Those plans will “resolve both the securing of capital for Aer Lingus and the construction and operation of Terminal Two,” said Mr Cullen.