Madam, – The much-touted National Broadband Scheme is a joke. This pathetic gesture will still leave many hundreds of thousands of Irish people, across every county, with access only to sporadic, slow and often dysfunctional services offered by various wireless and mobile operators.
Is our Government blind to the essential role of fast and consistent broadband access, at individual level, in enterprise, education, communication, healthcare and security? The so-called “last mile” is unattractive to commercial interests because they can’t see profit there. Therefore, it is a Government responsibility to fund this vital infrastructure, just as it was for rural electrification.
Access to fast broadband for all citizens is not a luxury. It is an imperative. It will pay for itself in jobs and competitiveness in a very short time. Ireland must immediately follow the example of France and Finland and pass laws making fast, consistent broadband a citizen’s right.
– Yours, etc,