The statement from the Minister this week that 90% of homes will be in receipt of high speed broadband by the end of 2020 is welcome, but I have asked the question many times in the past, what will happen with the remaining 10% which is a huge concern, and there is no time frame for connecting those homes and businesses, many of which are in isolated parts of rural Ireland. It has been calculated that we are talking about in the region of 160,000 homes in this category and we have heard little or nothing about what proposals, if any, are in place to deal with this huge number of people.
In many cases these homes and businesses are located in isolated rural areas where there is little or no coverage as it stands and we need to hear what plans are in place to look after these people. If we are to treat everyone equally then we need to hear more about what the Government intend to do to provide a proper broadband service for this large cohort of our population who deserve the same services as everyone else.
