Fianna Fáil TD Charlie McConalogue has called on the Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte to guarantee that the National Broadband Plan, to be published next month, will address the serious deficiencies in broadband access in many areas of Co Donegal.
Deputy McConalogue has raised serious concerns about recent comments from the Next Generation Broadband Taskforce that “spatial distribution patterns in Ireland make the delivery on a commercial basis of high speed broadband to more isolated rural areas cost prohibitive for industry.”
The Donegal North East TD commented, “Minister Rabbitte announced his broadband plan amid great fanfare last year and claimed that nearly every household and business in Ireland already has access to competitively priced broadband. But we can see in Donegal that is certainly not the case.
“The Broadband services in many areas of this county are poor at best. The Programme for Government committed to bring fibre-power broadband to 90% of homes and businesses in Ireland. The progress of that plan, if any, certainly can’t be seen in Donegal.
“The consequences of poor broadband services are significant for this region. The Taoiseach himself has said that the internet industry is the key to Ireland’s economic recovery. How can we expect to retain and create jobs in Donegal if the basic service is not being provided?
“The Next Generation report has asked for contributions from the public. I would urge the people of Donegal to make their voices heard and contact nextgenerationbroadband@dcenr.ie to demand improvements to broadband in their area.
“Donegal has been left behind when it comes to high-speed broadband and we need to be brought up to speed with the rest of the country. In the interests of economic recovery and job creation, Minister Rabbitte must ensure his plan is fair to every region in f the country. No business or household can be left behind. I am calling on Minister Rabbitte to deliver on his promise and guarantee full broadband access in Donegal.”
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