This article is from page 58 of the 2009-06-02 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 58 JPG
AN ESTIMATED 50 per cent of people living in Clare have access to broadband Internet services, accord- ing to figures put forward by Clare County Council.
The council’s Head of Information Systems, Urban McMahon has stated that people are receiving broadband through a “fixed or wireless service with the availability constantly in- creasing due to the continued suc- cess and extension of the previous group broadband scheme an also the continued rollout schedules to pri- vate service providers”.
Mr McMahon was responding to a motion submitted by Cllr Sonny Scanlan at the May meeting of Clare County Council.
Cllr Scanlan had sought informa- tion on what areas of Clare are cur- rently covered by broadband. Cllr Scanlan also queried how long it would take all before all areas, par- ticularly Quin, will have access to broadband.
He said that it had been 15 years since Ennis had been designated as an information town and claimed that people living three miles outside of the town did not have Internet cov- eben
Responding, Mr McMahon said that the Minster for Communica- tions, Energy and Natural Resourc- es has entered into a contract with the broadband service provider, Hutchison 3G Ireland, (trading as 3) for the implementation of the nation-
al broadband scheme.
He said that the objective of the scheme is to provide access to af- fordable, scaleable broadband serv- ices to rural areas, many of which do not have any broadband services.
Mr McMahon continued, “The scheme will be rolled out on an elec- toral division basis and currently 49 electoral are divisions in County Clare have been identified under the scheme. It is expected that al residences and business premises lo- cated within the national broadband scheme coverage area and will be able to avail of broadband services by the end of the September.
Cllr Scanlan has welcomed Mr Mc- Mahon’s response but he added that more needs to be done to ensure the delivery of high-speed broadband services to rural communities in Clare. Cllr Scanlan described it as a priority issue.