Sinn Fein Finance Spokesperson Deputy Pearse Doherty has expressed serious concern following the announcement this week that EIR is to withdraw from the Government’s National Broadband Plan.
The company’s decision comes just months before the anticipated commencement of the state subsidised scheme to bring high-speed broadband to 450,000 homes and businesses in rural Ireland, including Donegal.
Deputy Deputy said: “The shock decision by EIR to withdrawal from the National Broadband Plan means government plans to connect every home in the state to high speed broadband is now in complete chaos.
“This latest development is on the back of the withdrawal last year of SIRO from the bidding process which left just two bidders, Eir and Enet.
“EIR’s decision to now remove itself from the process clearly highlights the flawed nature of the Government’s chosen privatisation option.
“Sinn Féin had warned government consistently early on of the flaws in the whole procurement system it was pursing yet they chose to ignore our warnings.
“The Government has now lost control and creditability in this process, and there is now real fear that the possibility of broadband access in rural Ireland will be pushed out ever further, including here in Donegal.”
“In fact, one only has to look at studies carried out such as that conducted by Switcher.ie which found that Donegal had some of the slowest download speeds in the state at just 13.44Mbps – well below the 30Mbps minimum National Boradband Plan target.
“Clearly, such poor access to adequate broadband services is having a major impact on households and businesses here in the county, and this is obviously having a detrimental impact on the local economy.
“There are serious question marks over the Government’s commitment to provide high speed broadband to rural Ireland now where communities have been waiting for far too long for this basic infrastructure.”
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