Standard of broadband ‘pathetic’ in some areas

WITH the world being a changed place in the wake of Covid-19, Cllr Lisa McDonald has urged the council to learn from the past three months and continue to adapt.

Speaking at last week’s council meeting, Cllr McDonald noted that one thing that had been noted throughout the crisis in her own area was the really poor standard of broadband.

‘I know of a woman who is the director of a company and, as a result, was required to take several conference calls per day and she said that the standard of broadband was absolutely pathetic,’ the Fianna Fáil councillor said. ‘These black-spot areas really need to be looked at urgently. People are being left isolated and completely cut off.’

Communications Officer David Minogue replied that there had, obviously, been an increased demand for broadband as people were working from home during the crisis. ‘ The good news,’ he said, ‘is that National Broadband Ireland are out checking the infrastructure in these areas as we speak. I’m told that will take six months to a year and then late this year, they’ll will start to connect homes from Wexford town and work out. I’m told it will take around two years.’

‘But Wexford town area already has high quality broadband for the most part,’ Cllr McDonald said. ‘Can we not start in the areas that are worst first?’

Mr Minogue replied that this wasn’t possible and the nature of the work meant that it had to be done from the urban centres out.

‘We can’t afford to wait on broadband,’ Cllr McDonald stressed. ‘In the meantime, we need to talk to the private companies and see is there any way to get these people connected.’

Mr Minogue said that he would arrange for a representative of National Broadband Ireland to attend district meetings in the near future to provide a progress update on the plan.