Home News Broadband delay a further blow to rural areas, says Stanley

Broadband delay a further blow to rural areas, says Stanley

The National Broadband plan has been delayed again
The National Broadband plan has been delayed again

Laois TD Brian Stanley says that the delay in rolling out the National Broadband Plan means hundreds of thousands of people will wait years longer for a basic service.

Recently Minister Denis Naughten said he does not expect any more developments with the scheme over the next 18 months.

And it is thought up to half a million homes in rural Ireland are unable to connect to high speed broadband.

The Sinn Fein TD has voiced his displeasure at the delay.

He said: “The announcement that the rollout of the national broadband plan to 542,000 homes is being delayed again to 2019 means economic progress in rural Ireland is being pushed back yet further.

“There have been many commitments from previous governments on the national broadband plan which have all come to nothing.

“It was first promised in 2012 and this government said in its Programme for Government that they will ‘bring next generation broadband to every house and business in the country by 2020’. This clearly will not happen now.

“In April, Minister Naughten announced the rollout of broadband by Eir to 300,000 homes but this was done on a purely commercial basis.

“I expressed my concern over the remaining 540,000 homes. With this latest news people are still in the dark.

“With delay after delay people in rural Ireland will question if their concerns are being listened to, and will they ever receive access which should be a basic service in rural parts of the country.”

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