This article is from page 22 of the 2007-03-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 22 JPG
STRONGER commitments regard- ing the delivery of broadband serv- ices in Ennis are being sought amid claims Clare could be missing out on thousands of jobs.
Speaking at the monthly meeting of Clare County Council, Councillor Joe Carey stated that many homes in Ennis still had no access to broad- band services.
He called for the council to provide a full report with regard to broad- band services in the county indicat- ing which areas have been enabled and what plans Clare County Coun- cil have to expand the network.
He said, “In reality there is a large part of Ennis that is still without broadband services. No commitment has been given to when it’s going to
start up.”
Responding, Director of Services Community and Enterprise, Tom Coughlan said the council had al- ready submitted proposals for Ennis and Shannon to be included in the Metropolitan Area Networks Pro- eramme (MAN).
“The responsibility for the rollout of broadband services nationally lies with the Department of Communica- tions, Marine and Natural Resourc- oe
“To co-ordinate the delivery of broadband in the Shannon region, Shannon Broadband Company Ltd was established in 2003. This com- pany comprises the six local authori- ties in the mid-west region including Shannon Development.”
Mr Coughlan continued, “The de- partments strategy for broadband
connectivity nationally since 2002 has been on two fronts, The Metro- politan Area Networks Programme (MANs) and the Group Broadband Scheme (GBS). MANs deals with the provision of infrastructure to strategic towns in the country with a population greater than 1500.
“GBS includes towns and commu- nities with a population of less than 1500. Proposals have also been sub- mitted for Ennis and Shannon.
“Government approval and excheq- uer funding will be required for this development. It is anticipated that these projects should be at the plan- ning stage by the end of this year”’
An inadequate broadband infra- structure could also mean that Clare iS missing out on thousands of jobs. That’s according to the Managing Director of Magico.ie, the Ennis
based web design and software de- velopment company.
Paul Montwill said a growing dig- ital divide had emerged between rural and urban areas resulting in a loss of investment, job creation and competitiveness.
Montwill said, “In light of the re- cent significant job losses in the mid- west region, the Government should now look to ways of creating new employment opportunities’.
He continued, “Numerous studies have shown that the development of an advanced communications infra- structure can lead to job creation and retention, increased business effi- ciency, improved education systems, faster industrial growth, increased start-up and entrepreneurial activi- ties, and more productive research and development.”