Ballybay Monaghan Ireland

Local Fianna Fáil election candidate Seamus Coyle has this week requested Eir to clarify why the town of Ballybay has been excluded from its recent announcement of Broadband rollout focused on Urban Centres, saying “Surely I welcome the fact that four towns in County Monaghan are to be included in the proposed rollout to urban centres, Clones, Castleblayney, Carrickmacross and Monaghan, but I’m very disappointed that Ballybay is excluded. It’s another example of Ballybay being left out. While EIR is a private consortium, they are subject to government regulation which implies they must deliver equal service to all areas of the country. I firmly believe if the current government is serious about the regeneration of rural Ireland it must apply to providers of Telecommunications infrastructure i.e. Broadband, Mobile and Fived line Communications, a Universal Service Obligation which would mean all providers would have to service the country equally and not what is happening at the moment where they are required only to provide cover to a percentage of population which leaves them only providing cover where it is financially lucrative that is the bigger urban centres.

The Ballybay-Clones Councillor continued “Overall I am very disappointed with EIR’s Service to the Ballybay-Clones area. I have had numerous recent complaints from many people as to poor service and serious delay’s in land line repairs in the Rockcorry/Lisnalong/Latton area as customers were left without service for many weeks. I was particularly concerned for those with Panic Button Alarms. Families are very concerned for the safety of loved ones living alone and of serious delay’s in connection of land lines to new homes. With land line services absolutely essential as there is no mobile service to the area”.
Concluding the May 24th Local Elections Candidate said ”I know Government spokespersons response will be that they are this week approving the rollout of the National Broadband Plan but this is a farce equaled only by the National Children’s Hospital. Its site in the middle of one of top three most grid locked cities in the world and costs totally out of control, government management of each of these projects is a shambles because of its procurment procedures. Let the people of the Ballybay-Clones L.E.A. be assured a lot of water will flow before the National Broadband Plan which will see Billions of taxpayers money spent on an infrastructure which will become the property of former Minster for Communications Denis Naughton, dinner buddy Frank McCourt with a cost of €5,500 per property connected with Broadband under this botched plan by Leo Veradker and his Fine Gael Colleages. The approval of the National Broadband Plan this week is only about saving face for Fine Gael Local and European Election Candidates. On May 24th,when the polls close Leo Veradker, Richard Bruton and their Fine Gael colleagues could get a conscience and call homes and businesses across the Ballybay-Clones LEA. But I expect we will have another lengthy delay to the delivery of high speed connectivity as a result of Fine Gaels monumental failure of the procurement process”.