€80m broadband scheme criticised

An internet lobby group is writing to the European Union over the management of an €80m broadband scheme that was supposed to ensure everyone in the country can access broadband.

The chairman of the Ireland Offline lobby group, Eamon Wallace, said the scheme has not delivered what it said it would and they had been left with no choice but to go to Europe.

“We are lodging a formal complaint with the EU about the National Broadband Scheme.

“The National Broadband Scheme is a disaster, a technical disaster. When I say it’s a disaster area, I can technically back that up.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Communications said that they were happy with the operation of the scheme. “The department is satisfied that the terms and conditions as set out in the National Broadband Scheme contract are being achieved.”

The minimum speed that consumers availing of the scheme are supposed to receive is 2.3Mbps.

Mr Wallace said this is not happening. “That is not the experience of consumers on the ground.”

A clause in the contract allows the department to penalise the operators of the National Broadband Scheme, 3 Ireland.

“The National Broadband Scheme contract guarantees service levels and imposes a service credit regime on ‘3’, with significant financial consequences in the event that minimum specification service levels are not met,” a spokesperson said. However it is understood that this clause has never been invoked by the Government.

Mr Wallace wanted to emphasise that the flaws with the scheme do not lie with ‘3’, but with technology and parameters of the scheme as laid by the department.

Ireland Offline have put together a map which shows the type of broadband available across Ireland.

While most of the broadband operators provided the location of their services, 3 Ireland was one of the few that declined.

A spokesperson for the company said “All the information consumers need in relation to ‘3’ broadband is available and most up to date on the 3 Ireland website, three.ie.”

Mr Wallace said that the companies that refused to provide the data were stopping consumers from making a informed decision about which broadband provider to use.

“We would like to publicly thank those providers that have given us the necessary data to plot their coverage in detail. Those that refused to provide any information clearly demonstrate how these providers hold their consumers in contempt as they are not willing to provide clear and necessary information to those consumers to allow the consumer to make an informed choice.”

The map is available at irelandoffline.org/map