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National broadband roll-out in
Donegal
09.12.19
FIANNA Fáil TD for
Donegal Charlie McConalogue has called on the
Minister for Communications, Climate Action and
Environment, Richard Bruton, to prioritise Donegal
when it comes to the roll out of the National
Broadband Plan.
Speaking in the Dáil, Deputy McConalogue described
the history of the national broadband plan as
“littered with broken promises and a failure to live
up to commitments.”
“The initial plan was that by the end of 2020,
broadband services would have been delivered to the
entire country. At present, 30,000 business premises
and private residential homes in County Donegal are
still waiting on the national broadband plan to
deliver,” the Donegal TD said. |
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Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal
Charlie McConalogue. |
Pointing out that the
figure equates to one-third of premises in the
county, Deputy McConalogue called on the Minister to
ensure Donegal is prioritised when the scheme is
rolled out.
“Given that the new plan announced and signed off in
recent weeks has a final delivery date of 2027 and
given the high percentage of affected homes and
business premises in Donegal, I’m asking the
Minister to commit to ensuring that Donegal is
prioritised.
“I’ve been told that National Broadband Ireland will
be outlining its plans shortly and while I
understand that within the first year high-speed
broadband connection points are planned in several
public locations, people really want to know when
the first homes will be connected, something the
Minister failed to answer.
“People in Donegal want to be able to access
broadband in their home and in their business. They
don’t want to be leaving and trekking somewhere down
the road just so they can send an email or make a
video call.
“It defies belief that broadband is a service that
over 30,000 people in this county still have no
access to. Considering the level of investment this
government has now committed to the plan, I will
continue to put pressure on them to ensure delivery
of the service to Donegal as a matter of priority,”
Deputy McConalogue concluded. |
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