Despite reports that the Eircom Exchange in Monksland was supposedly broadband enabled, people in the area are still unable to get fixed line broadband from Eircom, that’s according to Cllr John Keogh, the local county councillor for the Athlone Electoral Area of County Roscommon.
“I am very disappointed that Eircom has failed to ensure that broadband be provided to all in the Monksland/Bealnamullia area. This area should have been broadband enabled years ago. Now mixed reports are coming out from eircom that the exchange in Monksland is Broadband enabled. I understand that Deputy Denis Naughten wrote to residents in the area advising that the exchange in Monksland had now been enabled and that one could contact Eircom to order broadband. Yet when I contacted eircom to test the line in the house where I live and to order the service, they confirmed to me that the exchange was not yet broadband enabled. It is clear that Eircom are sending out different messages as previously I had been advised that the exchange has been installed and commissioned but that a problem had arisen with regard to cabling. It is clearly a case of one arm of eircom not knowing what the other is doing. This is a very poor reflection of eircom’s commitment to provide a proper broadband service” said Cllr Keogh.
The lack of a proper broadband service will adversely affect the attractiveness of the area for further investment. The communications company Imagine had also ear-marked Athlone for the roll out of its Wi-Max, 4G (4th Generation ) Broadband Service, and Cllr Keogh was pursuing the company to have it deliver its service to the Monksland area but this has also yet to be delivered. With so many self-employed people working from home in the area, a high speed broadband service is an absolute necessity.
Clllr Keogh said “I contacted Imagine in relation to broadband for the area and the company informed me that they hoped to have the service rolled out in the area by February 2010, if the demand was there. When I last spoke on the issue, I encouraged those who were seeking broadband to register their interest in the service with Imagine. Both Cllr Paddy Kilduff and I will continue to liaise with Imagine and Eircom to ensure that a high speed service is put in place without further delay. Any further delays are simply unacceptable and inexcusable to say the least.”
