Why the delay in delivering on rural broadband?
24th November 2014
Cut of 29% to broadband investment in Budget 2015 slowing internet development
Monday 24th November 2014, Dublin.
The Green Party has today welcomed the unveiling of the National Broadband Plan's mapping project, but questioned the delay of implementing the overall plan. Cllr Ossian Smyth, Green Party Communications Spokesperson, has also warned that the Government may have dropped the ball and missed the opportunity to include the €500 million Rural Broadband Plan in European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker's €300 billion economic stimulus package, to be unveiled Wednesday.
In a document released by the Commission in July, Juncker said that the aim of the package would be to pump investment into "infrastructure [projects], notably broadband". Given that the National Broadband Plan was announced back in 2012, it should have been a priority of the Government to secure European funding for this desperately needed, major infrastructure project.
Cllr Smyth, said today: "The mapping of unserved areas is an important step in the process of introducing the National Broadband Plan. While our broadband speeds have improved in urban areas we are in danger of letting the 30% of our population living in rural Ireland fall further behind. A major question will arise if, come Wednesday, Jean-Claude Juncker unveils his €300 billion stimulus package and rural broadband isn't on the ticket.
"This would be further evidence of the Government's failure to recognise the potential of the internet. Funding for broadband development was cut by a staggering 29% in Budget 2015. As long as we fail to invest and improve our internet infrastructure we will lose our international competitiveness, rural communities will suffer in particular, and jobs and investment will be lost to countries which view the internet as a priority."
ENDS
Notes for editors:
See 29% cut to communications investment in DCENR vote, Budget 2015: http://budget.gov.ie/Budgets/2015/Documents/Comprehensive%20Expenditure%20Report%202015%20-%202017.pdf#page=185
See Claude Juncker's statement that broadband investment should be a critical focus of European investment package:
http://ec.europa.eu/about/juncker-commission/docs/pg_en.pdf#page=5 ?
Chris GreenPress Officer
press@greenparty.ie+353 1 679 0012+353 86 661 0972Follow us @greenparty_ie?
ENDS