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Frank O’Rourke – Unacceptable Delay in rolling out National Broadband Plan

Local Fianna Fáil TD, Frank O’Rourke, has called on the Minister for Communications, Climate Action & Environment to intervene and bring clarity to the roll out of the National Broadband Plan as delays persist in the roll out of broadband connections in rural areas in County Kildare.

“It is time for the Government to outline a timeline for the signing of the contract for the National Broadband Plan, as there is only one company – Enet – left in the running after Eir pulled out of the process earlier this year.” Continue reading “Frank O’Rourke – Unacceptable Delay in rolling out National Broadband Plan”

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Frank O’Rourke – Unacceptable delay in rolling out Broadband plan

Local Fianna Fáil TD, Frank O’Rourke, has called on the Minister for Communications, Climate Action & Environment to intervene and bring clarity to the roll out of the National Broadband Plan as delays persist in the roll out of broadband connections in rural areas in County Kildare.

“It is time for the Government to outline a timeline for the signing of the contract for the National Broadband Plan, as there is only one company – Enet – left in the running after Eir pulled out of the process earlier this year.”

“The delay in the roll out and the signing of the contract is having a serious impact on the hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses who are still waiting to be connected to the network.”

“My understanding is that more than 13,000 homes and businesses, or 15% of the total, across the county of Kildare fall under “State led intervention” category for roll out of Broadband. Some of these homes and businesses are within a few kilometres of major IT Multinational companies and could face waits for another 3 to 5 years to secure high speed broadband.”

“The Government’s record on broadband provision is disgraceful.  The National Broadband Plan was launched in 2012 and it was due to be completed by 2016. We now hear from the Minister that it could be 2023 before it is fully rolled out nationally.”

“The current impasse cannot be allowed to continue.  The Minister needs to announce a date for the contract to be signed so that the scheme can be rolled out to the areas that need it most” concluded Deputy O’Rourke.

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Rural Areas need proper access to Broadband – Frank O’Rourke

Local Fianna Fail General Election candidate, Cllr Frank O’Rourke, has called on the Department of Communication and the Minister for Communications, to have broadband access for Newtown and surrounding areas a priority for this Department.

‘In recent days, I have met with many residents in Newtown and surrounding areas in Kildare, who are very concerned about the poor broadband connectivity in the area.’

‘At a time when we are trying to encourage people to work from home, to encourage and nurture small businesses, support exiting businesses and ensure that people have reliable access to broadband, we see that little or no progress has been made to provide a Broadband service for Newtown and surrounding areas. Kildare is home to world class IT companies and it beggars belief that homes and businesses within a couple of miles of these companies have little or no broadband access.’ Continue reading “Rural Areas need proper access to Broadband – Frank O’Rourke”