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Eir's shock broadband decision causes alarm in rural Meath

The news that Eir is pulling out of the tendering process for the long awaited rural broadband scheme is causing alarm across rural Meath, however, Communications Minister, Denis Naughten has promised the scheme "will be delivered on time and at no extra cost to the taxpayer." 

Eir, the State’s largest telecoms group, had been favourite to win the State contract, but said yesterday it was withdrawing from the tender because the risks had become “too great for its continued participation”, citing “growing uncertainty” about regulatory and pricing issues.

The move came just months ahead of the scheduled start of the State-subsidised scheme, which aims to bring high-speed broadband to 542,000 homes and businesses in rural Ireland, which are currently not served by broadband providers.

Latest figures from the Department of Communications show that almost a quarter of homes and businesses in Meath do not have access to high speed broadband.
Figures for the third quarter of 2017 show that of the 83,572 premises in Meath, 19,222 or 23 per cent will have to wait for the state intervention programme before they will have access to high speed broadband. The programme will cover areas where private operators are not willing to provide high speed broadband for commercial reasons. However, the department is still at the procurement stage and the contract to deliver this programme is not yet awarded. 
Local TD Shane Cassells spoke about the frustration expressed by people from the Kildalkey area whom he met with in the village  recently.
"It's the biggest issue out there for people living in rural villages and in Kildalkey the anger from parents whose kids could not do research online because of the lack of broadband was palpable," remarked Deputy Cassells.
"Throw in the fact that there is very poor mobile phone coverage in the area and it compounds the problems for people doing business."
The Fianna Fáil TD said that people needed to hear from the Taoiseach about when the contract for state intervention with the preferred bidder would be signed and when work will commence as he said that "every deadline had been missed to date."
Last week, Cllr Damien O'Reilly described as "apalling" that it would be 2023 before the government manages to connect 19,000 rural Meath homes and businesses to high speed broadband.
Communications Minister Denis Naughten confirmed that “network roll-out will take 3-5 years following contract award” under the National Broadband Plan. 
"It’s almost impossible to believe that more than a decade after the National Broadband Plan was first launched, thousands of premises in rural Meath will still not have high speed broadband”, he said.
The Department of Communications is currently in a procurement process to choose the company or companies who will build, maintain and operate the state intervention network for the next 25 years. 

In recent weeks the Meath Chronicle highlighted the impact lack of access to high speed broadband is having on local families, students and businesses.

Kilmessan business couple Brian and Martina Flaherty  of Royal County Puddings, an awarding winning dessert producer, spoke of the difficulties they have in trying to run their business.

The only broadband  they have is through a dongle which is run off the mobile phone network which is very slow and unreliable.

"When I sit at home, I can see the junction box out on the road on the pole and I still can't get broadband. I've been told  nothing that makes any sense, it is a ludicrous situation. We only have a dongle that you have to move from room to room," said Brian.

He explained he has to go to his daughter's house to try to try to receive purchase orders by email.

"Online banking is also very frustrating and anything at all to do with emails. It is so slow."