Ireland urged to do more to improve broadband access

The European Commission is calling on Ireland and other member states to do more to improve broadband access in rural areas.

The commission said today that individual member states needed to strengthen their broadband strategies and set clear targets for achieving progress in the roll-out of the technology.

The EC said governments should use EU structural and rural development funds to help reach these targets.

Ireland's broadband penetration is currently among the lowest in the EU at just over 5%.

This compares to almost 24% in the Netherlands, 22.5% in Denmark and just over 20% in Finland.