Broadband roll-out - Failure must be rectified

YOU could be forgiven for believing that Ireland was at the forefront of internet technology.

All the talk in official circles of e-learning, e-commerce and e-Government creates the impression that nobody is more than a mouse-click away from all the information, advice and services they need.

But figures from the Central Statistics Office paint a different picture. Less than half of Irish households have broadband — a connection rate that puts us on a par with Lithuania, marginally above Latvia and well behind most of our other EU neighbours.