Sinn Féin councillor Thérèse Ruane insists that high speed access to broadband must be made a priority for our local businesses and communities. This State not only lags far behind the EU average in broadband rollout, it also has some of the highest costs and lowest speeds in the EU.
Thérèse Ruane said: “This week, I met with a couple trying to set up their own business who cannot access fixed line broadband within a mile of Castlebar. The irony is that their neighbours on the other side of the road have access, and despite numerous requests to Eircom to upgrade the line they have had no success.”
Cllr Ruane said: “Essential investment and upgrade in networks is needed to ensure that reliable and high speed broadband is available to local businesses, especially SMEs. How can we promote ourselves here in Mayo and Ireland as a knowledge-based economy if we don't have the most basic of tools to deliver such a market?”
The town councillor concluded that “in an economic crisis, more than 1,000 people losing jobs every day and people with initiative and innovative business ideas here in Mayo and the west of Ireland are faced with unacceptable barriers to setting up their own businesses. This is not on.”
