AN encouraging response from the Energy Regulator to his review into the cost of household utility bills. has led Labour cllr John Ryan to believe that there will be a reduction in the cost of residential telephone line rentals.
Actively campaigning for a reduction in costs, the northside councillor had contacted the Commission for Energy Regulation.
“Like others, I’m pleased with recent decisions to reduce the price of gas and electricity for consumers and now I want that same reduction to be made on telephone line rental charges, especially now in light of a new EU report which indicates that residential users in Ireland are charged more than anyone else in Europe each month”.
The councillor, who spoke on the issue at the Labour Party Conference at the weekend, points out that the monthly cost of renting a residential telephone line from Eircom is 25 euro – which is 66 per cent above the EU average of 15 euro.
“Almost four- fifths of Irish homeowners use Eircom for their fixed line telephones and just six per cent of its competitors operate their own network infrastructures. I fail to understand why Eircom’s equivalent in Finland, which is much larger than Ireland geographically, with broadly the same population, can charge just eight euro – one third the amount charged by Eircom,” he states.
Speaking to this newspaper, he said it is likely that the EU may have to intervene, as it has done regarding mobile phone and texting costs.
“Irish homeowners pay the fifth highest in Europe for making a 10-minute call and the eight-highest for making a three-minute national call, which highlights the cost being paid by the Irish public for the Government’s mistake in selling off Eircom to those only interested in making a quick buck, instead of building a modern communications network fit for this country’s future needs. Telephone costs in this country must be brought into line with the European averages and ComReg must investigate the excessive cost of renting a residential line”.
