LEADING business commentator Richard Curran has hit out at the terrible broadband connection he has at his home in Donegal.
The Dragons’ Den presenter was writing in the Irish Independent which has launched a campaign for better rural broadband.
Curran and his journalist wife Kathy Donaghy live in Inishowen but both find it hard to use the internet at the same time, he said.
The author – who investigated the collapse of Ireland’s banks – said that “easy, fast access to the internet is becoming an essential tool, not just of business but of modern living”.
He went on: “In north Donegal, in our rural area, I have access to around 3.5Mbs of broadband. It is enough to function and do my work but only while my children are young.
“My wife and I can’t work simultaneously and already our children are starting to use the internet, putting further strain on our limited capacity.
“Yet I am lucky. I have that broadband because I live close to a main road. Many of my neighbours just half a mile away have virtually no broadband or rely on temperamental satellite and mobile alternatives.
“The business and employment restrictions of poor broadband are obvious. The social and educational benefits might seem less apparent to people. It isn’t just about wanting to watch Netflix. It is about fully engaging with and maximising the cultural, educational and social benefits the internet can bring. It is about opening minds and opening opportunities.”
Curran argued that rural communities can create jobs – even just a few at a time – if there was proper internet access.
“There needs to be a basic acceptance that providing first-class broadband to rural Ireland is an important social and economic goal. It will cost a lot of money but ultimately that will return in the long run,” he said.
“To put it in context, we have just lost €25bn on Anglo Irish Bank and a further €5bn on Irish Nationwide, with nothing to show for it.”
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