Access to high-speed broadband can remove the ‘digital divide’
OFFICIAL TOLD SERVICE AS ‘IMPORTANT AS WATER AND ROADS’ TO RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ACCESS to high-speed broadband could help to remove the ‘digital divide’ between rural and urban areas of the Garden County.
Geoff Shakespeare, Chief Operating Officer of National Broadband Ireland (NBI) told Wicklow County Councillors at their March meeting that the aim of the National Broadband Plan was to deliver universal access to broadband. Their focus was on premises which were not connected by commercial broadband operators.
Access to high speed broadband could be used to ‘remove a digital divide’, allowing for remote working and the development of businesses in rural areas. It may also be useful for remote health care monitoring and for the growth of rural jobs such as next generation farming made possible by the Internet of Things. NBI will be a wholesale operator with prices the same in urban and rural areas once the project is completed. The government is putting in a subsidy of €59 million and NBI will invest €80 million over 25 years.
Around 7,000 homes in Wicklow do not have high-speed access to broadband. During 2020 and 2021, the focus will be on developing a core network. Mr Shakespeare outlined that the core network exchanges in Wicklow will be Blessington and Kilcoole with surveying of townlands to get under way later this year. These surveys would be used to develop a detailed plan for each premises in the area. Regional exchanges will then follow to develop a resilient broadband service for the country. The technology was fibre-based with a significant amount of cable used. In future, the connections at either end of the cable would be changed as technology developed, but the idea was the cable would be in place for the long-term.
Mr Shakespeare said there would be more briefings for county councils and communities in the future. He requested councillors’ support for the project as NBI would need to request road opening and other licences to carry out works.
Cllr John Mullan (FF) said the roll-out of broadband was ‘as important as roads and water’ to the economic development of the county.
‘The absence of broadband is as critical as any other piece of infrastructure.’
Cllr Mullan said that factories on the Aughrim road in Tinahely were listed as having broadband but speeds were very slow.
Mr Shakespeare said the the NBI was carrying out its evaluation at the level of premises. If businesses or homes feel they should be in the plan, they would need to register on a list with the Department of Communications, Climate Action and the Environment.
Cllr Patsy Glennon (FF) asked how towns in west Wicklow that are not directly connected to Blessington or Baltinglass would be linked to the service.
Cllr Mary Kennedy (Ind) queried if the technology was all fibre-based as concern had been expressed before about 5G.
Cllr Gerry Walsh (FF) highlighted that a number of estates in Greystones and other urban areas had been bypassed by commercial operators and were still using the old copper system.
Cllr Rory O’Connor (Ind) asked if a replanting programme would be put in place for any trees that are cut down as part of the programme.
Cllr Vincent Blake (FG) said there was an assumption that there was broadband in areas, but there could be pockets which do not have it. Other councillors also highlighted that there was not universal access to broadband across the county.
Mr Shakespeare said that under EU and state aid rules, if a business had indicated they would invest in broadband in an area, NBI could not provide broadband there. The map of premises was being constantly updated and people could request to be added to the list.
He confirmed that the technology used by NBI was fibre-based and did not use 5G.
Mr Shakespeare said that the plan was to re-use existing ESB poles to deliver broadband and while there may be exceptions, there were no major plans to cut down trees. As the network expanded, towns and villages would be connected to the service during the seven year project.