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 Computer Scam Over the past few weeks we have received several reports of telephone ‘cold calling’ from persons claiming to represent a computer support company. This cold caller is requesting people in the Thurles area, asking them to log onto their computer as they have detected serious viruses or other problems on your computer.
In some case they state that they are from “Microsoft Security”, or simply “Your Computer Support Company”. In all cases they appear to speak with an Indian sounding accent. They get you to log onto a particular web site where you enter in a code and then they remotely access you computer.
After they supposedly remove the offending virus or repair the imaginary problem they will inform you that they will now be forwarding you a bill for their services of up to €90. They will also request that you sign up to their “long-term” deal costing some €200 per year.
Should you receive such a call, DO NOT switch on your computer, instead ask them for their contact details and hang up, promising to return their call at a later date.
Do NOT talk to these people and DO NOT let them take control of your computer. Anyone “out of the blue” asking you to switch on your PC or Laptop by phone, should be treated as extremely suspect.
Have you received one of these calls?.
 It is not often you get a chance to have your say nowadays living in a ‘Nanny Republic’ as we do. However Europe Direct Ireland are inviting you to enter a national soapbox competition and by doing so, win some fantastic prizes!
To highlight the importance the European Union places on ‘Climate Change’ they are holding a soapbox competition on “Wind energy – the future or a blot on the landscape?”
You will have a chance to share your views and to win some fantastic prizes. Regional finalists will win an iPad, a trip to Brussels and will be entered for the National Final with a prize of €1,000. Soapbox events will be held in 7 regional locations followed by a national final in Farmleigh, Dublin on 19th November 2010.
Your 3 minute speech will be less impromptu – you will get to research it and prepare it in advance. The topic is wind energy, so like it or loathe it, agree or disagree, wind farms generate a lot of controversy, as well as potential energy.
They want to hear your views! You will deliver your speech at your local Europe Direct Centre, at an event in November in front of a local audience and a panel of judges who will include someone with an expertise on the subject – so do your research!
Your local Europe Direct Information Centre is at the Source Library, Cathedral St., Thurles, Co. Tipperary. They are holding their regional final on Friday 12th November at 7 p.m. and this event will be chaired by Alan Kelly M.E.P.
There will be also be runner-up 2nd and 3rd prizes of €150 and €100 respectively to be won.
To help get your thinking cap on, they will be holding information sessions with the Tipperary Energy Agency in Nenagh Library (19th October, 12.30 p.m.), Thurles Library (19th October, 6.30 p.m.) and Clonmel Library (28th October, 6.30 p.m.).
They will also be paying a visit to a working wind farm, at Ballinveny near Templemore, on Friday 22nd October at 2.30 p.m.. This free trip is open to all but booking is necessary. Why not call Thurles Library on 0504 29720 to book your place now.
You can pick up an entry form in any of the public libraries in Tipperary or enter online at www.europedirect.ie.
 A free business seminar, entitled ‘Building a Business on Your Ideas‘, will be held in the Horse and Jockey, Hotel, Thurles, on Thursday next the 21st of October.
This event is the second in a series of eight seminars for small business owners, entrepreneurs, inventors and startup companies in the Mid-West region.
Speakers will include: Dermot Doyle, Fergal Brady, Yvonne Cassidy (Patents Office), Colin Pope (Enterprise Ireland), Dan Richardson (Technology from Ideas) Denis Hayes (Technical Director C & C Supply) Rowena Elliott (Enterprise Ireland) Gerard O’Regan (Enterprise Europe Network)
Interested participants are invited to register for this event by logging onto www.tnceb.ie, or by emailing info@tnceb.ie or phoning 067-33086.
Tests carried out by the Communication’s Regulator to verify that mobile phone coverage is properly available throughout the country should be expanded, the Oireachtas Communications Committee has now confirmed.
At a meeting, the Regulator told Committee members it performs six monthly “drive tests” throughout the country to ensure good phone coverage exists and to identify coverage black spots.
However, under questioning from the Committee, it was revealed that these tests are carried out on national primary routes only and ignore national secondary, tertiary and county routes.
Oireachtas Committee Member and Tipperary Fine Gael Deputy Noel Coonan TD stated;
“A significant proportion of the population live nowhere near national primary routes, including many people in North Tipperary. Therefore, the Committee feels that these drive tests can not give a comprehensive picture of levels of phone coverage throughout the country and cannot conclusively authenticate if mobile phone companies are fulfilling their minimum requirements under their license.
These tests should be extended to other types of roads such as secondary, tertiary and county roads around the constituency so the complete situation regarding areas where coverage is poor can be identified. We heard today from Committee members about areas in their constituencies which are bedevilled by bad coverage, so having a more thorough idea of where these areas are would help the operators to address these shortcomings”
The Communications Regulator conducts six monthly ‘drive tests’ which consist of a car with specialist equipment driving around the country assessing mobile coverage.
The roll-out of high-speed broadband throughout North Tipperary depends on the Government providing backhaul connectivity to link the counties (MANs) to the wider national and international broadband network.
Tipperary Unplugged A Metropolitan Area Network (or MAN) is a large computer network that usually spans a large geographical area and usually interconnects a number of Local Area Networks (LANs) using a high-capacity backbone technology, such as fiber-optical links. This provides up-link services to wide area networks and the Internet.
Fine Gael TD Deputy Noel Coonan speaking to thurles.info said he had been in consultation with the Limerick-based company e|net which is managing the rollout of the fibre-optic broadband platform called Metropolitan Area Networks throughout Ireland.
The Deputy stated:
“At Fine Gael’s National Conference recently I said live on television that before MANs in Nenagh, Roscrea and Templemore can function effectively they must have what is called backhaul connectivity to link them to the national and international network. Backhaul connectivity relates to an improved wireless communications system capable of efficiently transmitting smaller-sized data packets (e.g. 10 to 20 byte length) that are frequently delivered (e.g. every 10 to 20 msec.) to mobile nodes on the communications system, such as voice communications. We need this connectivity to increase the competitiveness of North Tipperary and attract foreign direct investment. Cities such as Limerick, Kilkenny and Portlaoise have MANs platforms which stretch to smaller local towns but unfortunately North Tipperary is relying on this incapable and inefficient Government to provide sufficient backhaul facilities to link us up. E|net is very committed to improving broadband service in the locality and has highlighted that high-quality broadband is an essential pre-requisite to being able to attract any major business to towns around the constituency. The Limerick-based company has also indicated to me that it is vital that the present Government gets on with establishing the proposed one-stop-shop whereby all State-owned ducting and fibre would be administered by a single State entity.”
North Tipperary lost 188 IDA jobs last year and the inability to provide proper broadband hinders the county in their efforts to attract future investment. IDA figures have shown that MAN enabled towns have increased their share of Foreign Direct Investment from around 25% a few years ago to nearly 90%. Dismal news, recently announced, show that North Tipperary lost 188 IDA jobs last year and was one of only three counties that failed to attract a single IDA job in 2009, increasing its unemployment figures to 6,949. Only 13 IDA jobs were created in the past couple of years.
Deputy Coonan continued:
“Government must boost its funding to the Industrial Development Agency (IDA) so that the job-creating body can provide jobs for some of the 6,949 people who are unemployed in North Tipperary. North Tipperary is one of the worst hit areas in the country when it comes to securing IDA jobs. This was made blatantly clear by a recent IDA report which revealed that the constituency did not attract one single job in 2009 and I firmly believe this Government is to blame for the disastrous result as it continues to forget about job creation.
A recent example of this negligence was seen in the Government reshuffle which left no Government Department with the word employment or jobs in its title at a time when jobs should be first priority. Alongside this, our poor quality of broadband is severely deterring foreign multi-national companies from investing in North Tipperary.
Securing foreign direct investment is crucial if we are to pull our economy out of this hole. North Tipperary Government supporters Deputy Lowry and Deputy Hoctor should be ashamed that they did not help attract one single IDA job to the constituency last year. What is the point of people voting for these Deputies if they cannot provide for North Tipperary?”
An IDA delegation who addressed the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Enterprise, Trade and Employment recently this month, said that in the next 10 years, the IDA hope to secure nationwide 240,000 new jobs arising from overseas companies investing here.
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