Deputy Pearse Doherty has called on the Government to ensure that Donegal is prioritised during the roll out phase of broadband services as part of the National Broadband Plan initiative for the provision of high speed broadband to all premises in the country.
Deputy Doherty was commenting following the publication of a study this week by price comparison website, Switcher.ie, which found that based on speed tests recorded by broadband customers from across the state, Donegal came in at the bottom third of counties for broadband speeds.
Calling on the Government to prioritise Donegal as part of the long awaited National Broadband Plan, Deputy Doherty said “This research compiled by Switcher.ie, and based on speed tests provided by a study sample of broadband users, clearly points to a major urban-rural divide in terms of broadband services and download speeds.
“Based on 27,000 consumers surveyed as part of this study, it was found that broadband consumers in Donegal have access to some of the slowest download speeds, with consumers here experiencing average speeds so poor that they rank in the bottom third of counties.
“While consumers in Donegal who participated in this survey recorded an average broadband speed of 13.44Mbps, it is important to note that speeds in more rural areas of the county are even slower than this while some places have no coverage at all.
“The average speed recorded by Switcher.ie for Donegal is likely to have been increased due to speed tests having been performed by consumers in larger towns which enjoy better connectivity than other areas where services are poor in comparison.
“Overall, the Switcher.ie survey reveals that only 25 per cent of households receive internet speeds of 30Mpbs, which is the minimum target under the National Broadband Plan.
“Clearly, if we are to properly address this huge rural/urban divide, the Government must prioritise rural areas in the roll out phase of its National Broadband Plan to ensure that those areas which currently have some of the worst download speeds, may be among the very first to access adequate services through the scheme.
“Otherwise, this Government will continue to make the same mistakes as previous ones should it choose to focus on urban regions by supplying broadband services to areas which are already in receipt of above average speeds and which presently enjoy sufficient coverage.”
