350,000 people to get broadband under scheme

BROADBAND internet access will be made available to more than 350,000 people in 80 towns around the country under a Government action plan to be announced today.

Under the plan a new Group Broadband Scheme, which is aimed at rural areas and towns with a population of more than 1,500 will see broadband services rolled-out to towns such as Cavan, Monaghan, Maynooth and Carrigaline.

Every year between now and 2007 35m annually will be spent connecting community broadband exchanges and strategic fibre.

In addition a new Group Broadband Scheme - similar to group water schemes - will be set up.

The schemes will allow smaller rural communities to pool their demands and secure high-speed connectivity from a range of providers in the Irish market through grants from the Government.

Communications Minister Dermot Ahern said broadband access had to be improved.

“It is simply untenable in a modern society and economy that so many have no access to broadband and no immediate prospect of it. That is all going to change.

“We are in the middle of a global information revolution and we are running to catch up with economies such as Korea and Japan where high speed connectivity is accepted as simply as throwing an electric light switch is here.”

Other measures to be announced today include:

Tougher fines against those infringing communications laws to be included in legislation due to be published next year.

New pPolicy dDirections to the tTelecoms rRegulator focussing on delivering competitive pricing.

A website where consumers demanding broadband can register and see competing prices from broadband providers.

Minister Ahern said accelerating the growth in broadband use was in the interest of not just the economy, but of service providers as well.

“There has been a remarkable uptake in both broadband and flat rate iInternet access in the past six months and I expect that this will continue to accelerate into the New Year,” he said.