Irish group hopes for web blackout

IrelandOffline, an organisation hoping to bring affordable web access to Ireland, is calling for users to take part in an Irish web blackout this Friday.

The protest is intended to highlight the non-existence of flat-rate and broadband Internet access services in Ireland - services that make Internet access affordable and so promote the growth of Internet use, e-commerce, and competition.

Whilst the UK continues to vaunt itself as a leading online e-conomy, IrelandOffline is furious that Ireland is unable to compete on the global stage.

The group requests that sympathetic Irish Internet users abstain from connecting to the net on November the 16th, which it believes will send a clear message to Internet Service Providers - that a significant portion of their customers are disillusioned with the current situation, and demand the rollout of competitive services.

The group also proposes messages of support in email signatures, vacation autoresponders and answering machines messages, and the replacement of web pages with a supplied document that explains what the Blackout is, and why it is happening.

For more information, please visit the IrelandOffline Blackout support website at blackout.irelandoffline.org