Conamara councillor Noel Thomas has contacted the Minister for Communications, urging immediate state intervention to assist Eirgrid to restore telephone and broadband services to households still suffering the aftermath of the recent storm.
“While we all recognised the critical need to restore electricity,” he said “it is equally essential to ensure that communication services, such as phone lines and broadband, are reinstated as quickly as possible.”
He said that the response to power outages saw support brought in from across Ireland and even abroad to assist ESB in getting the lights back on.
“No company whether ESB or Eir could possibly have enough staff to tackle the sheer scale of destruction left in the aftermath of the storm. Now, the same level of urgency must be applied to communications infrastructure,” said Cllr Thomas.
“But the continued lack of phone and broadband services is having a severe impact, particularly in Conamara, where some of the worst-hit areas remain without service.”
Councillor Thomas said that many people rely on these services for essential daily needs, including those working from home, elderly individuals who have panic buttons, home security alarms, and emergency calls for ambulances, fire brigades, and doctors.
“I want to commend the Eir workers who are out every day trying to restore service under incredibly difficult circumstances but they need help. The state must intervene just as it did for ESB, bringing in additional contractors from abroad and other parts of Ireland where possible.
“We need more workers, linesmen, tree-cutters, pole-erectors, and experts in fault repairs to speed up the restoration process,” Cllr Thomas continued. “If this level of disruption were in Dublin, it would have been resolved long ago. The people of Conamara deserve the same urgency and support. The Minister must step up, take action, and ensure that the necessary resources are provided to get these essential services back up and running.”
