Stupid EU Commissioner of the Day Award

Some people may have heard yesterday that the European commissioner for telecoms, Viviane Reding, got angry on OFCOM's proverbial backside saying it was cosying up withthe industry here and generally not helping. There are now plans afoot for an EU wide regulator instead (joy!).

Then, in a truly "politician with bugger all technology knowledge making statements of dumbness" moment she also said that in her brave new world they woould deliver for the EU citizen such thing as letting broadband customers be able to switch between any EU suppliers on the same day. When I first heard this I quite literally burst out laughing, as too have most people I have told it too. The problem we have here is that an ex-journalist has been given repsonsibility for a technological area that she clear knows nothing about.

It might sound like a wonderful thing for us all to be able to ring up our ISP and say "I'm off" and still be online at the end of the day with someone else, but here's a reality check. It ain't gonna happen. Not because of a stitched up market though, but because it simply isn't technically feasible - especially at an EU wide level.