Fianna Fáil Communications Spokesperson, Timmy Dooley TD has criticised the apparent U-Turn by the European Commission on the proposal end roaming charges.
Clare TD, Dooley is to meet with Commissioner Andrus Ansip on Thursday. Ansip has responsibility for the digital single market and telecoms regulation. The u-turn is the main item they will discuss. “The Commission has simply ignored the express will of the European Parliament which called for the end of all roaming charges, and are attempting to insert get out clauses for telecoms communications” Timmy stated.
Roaming charges must be ended in their entirety according to the Clare Deputy. “The end of roaming charges should mean simply that – an end to all roaming charges. The attempt by the Commission to protect telecom companies by forcing customers to log into their home network every 30 days is contrary to both the spirit and objective of the EU parliament decision.”
“For years, Irish tourists and business people have been hit hard by outrageous bills for using internet services while overseas. Irish people face particular challenges as different telecoms companies operate on either side of the border. We can’t talk about increasing cross-border trade, tourism and investment when this artificial cost is being forced on neighbours, tourists and business people.”
He concluded “This initiative is one of the most positive to come from the European Institutions in years, and cannot be diluted”.