Warning over pace of broadband roll-out
Colossal damage is being done to the economy because of the slow pace of broadband roll-out, it was claimed today.
As the European Commission said Ireland was lagging far behind the rest of the continent, internet access campaigners IrelandOffline urged the Government to stop ignoring the warnings.
The latest statistics show broadband penetration in Ireland stands at just 5.34%, compared with 23.79% in the Netherlands, 22.51% in Denmark and 20.33% in Finland.
Damien Mulley, IrelandOffline’s chairman, said it was the latest in a long list of warnings sent to the Government and Communications Minister Noel Dempsey.
“It it time to stop ignoring these warnings and to actively and directly address them,” he said.
“Minister Dempsey’s shelves must, by now, be struggling under the weight of all these broadband reports. We ask the minister to dust off these reports and to read and act on the recommendations made by them.”
The 2006 Oireachtas Report published at the beginning of the month also pointed out how badly Ireland is doing, with the Government failing to act on a string of recommendations made in 2004.
The EC report noted that wide broadband coverage is central to fostering jobs and growth across Europe. And it warned there was a significant urban/rural gap in Ireland, with rural communities lagging behind in terms of coverage, due to population scarcity and distance.
The report forecast lower returns on investment, which would discourage commercial suppliers and it said public/private partnerships are necessary to increase broadband take-up.
The EC has already approved a €170m public programme in Ireland to promote broadband availability in areas lagging behind.
“Ireland is lagging far behind in broadband penetration,” cautioned Martin Territt, director of the European Commission Representation in Ireland.
“The Commission is seeking to speed up broadband take-up – particularly for rural communities.”
John Timmons, IrelandOffline vice-chair, said: “The Chambers of Commerce, ISME and a recent O2 report show that a considerable amount of work needs to be done before the Irish economy can compete on an equal footing with the rest of the world's knowledge economies,” Mr Timmons said.
“The situation is not improving and as the EU and OECD countries move even further away from us in terms of broadband uptake we could.”
