22 villages throughout North Cork have been left in the dark ages with the Government confirming that none of these villages will receive proper broadband services until at least 2017.
Communities, businesses and homeowners have this week said they are devastated with such a delay in the rollout of the National Broadband Plan in North Cork. The plan was announced with much fanfare in late 2014 with the aim to deliver reliable high speed broadband throughout the country.
The villages that will not have access to proper broadband until at least 2017 are;
- Ballyclough
- Kilbrin
- Castlemagner
- Cecilstown
- Glantane
- Bweeng
- Mourneabbey
- Burnfort
- Nadd
- Lyre
- Kilcorney
- Rathcoole
- Dromagh
- Derinagree
- Cullen
- Kiskeam
- Ballydesmond
- Meelin
- Rockchapel
- Tullylease
- Milford
- Churchtown
Commenting on the delay in delivering broadband services to North Cork, local Independent Councillor, John Paul O’ Shea said “This is very disappointing news for North Cork. We were all promised wonders when the National Broadband Scheme came into being in 2008 and then the Rural Broadband Scheme in 2011 but yet, in 2015, we have people in North Cork who still cannot even get broadband in their homes and businesses. And for those who are lucky enough to get a service have now been told that the reliability and speed issues will now not be even looked at until 2017. This is unacceptable in my view and we need a more coherent and faster implementation of the state intervention broadband plan”.
The aim of the National Broadband Plan is to connect all communities extending reliable high speed broadband to every premises in the country where there is no current or planned high speed broadband network. Businesses and homeowners have identified for years that there are large parts of the country still without proper broadband services. The new plan titled “Connecting Communities” is a complex and ambitious national infrastructure project to build a high speed broadband network. However, Cllr. O’ Shea has said it is not being implemented fast enough and Government need to move on this before rural communities decline even further.
“Rural Ireland is on its knees presently due to the lack of investment in maintaining services to our communities. Broadband is now a huge part of what we do on a daily basis and we are in dire need of it now in 2015. If this National Broadband Plan is not implemented in full over the next two years, it will be impossible for businesses in these 22 villages to maintain and expand their services. I am calling on the Government to deliver proper and reliable broadband services for the people of North Cork now and let’s not wait any longer”.
The map from the National Broadband Plan which outlines the villages who will and won’t get high speed broadband between now and 2017.
