CONCERNS have been raised about broadband quality in Lifford following days of ‘significant outages’.
The issue was raised at the recent meeting of the Lifford Stranorlar Municipal District on Monday. Cllr Gary Doherty questioned if the Council was able to report the issues to the provider as the outages ‘are unacceptable.’
He said: “There have been significant outages in the Lifford area.
“A number of residents were left without connection for a few days which caused a lot of issues for those who are working from home.
“At least with other service providers such as Uisce Éireann or ESB, the Council can contact them to escalate issues but this is not the case with broadband providers.
“A town the size of Lifford to be left with no connection cannot be accepted and I do think there should be a way for the council to report these issues,” said Cllr Doherty.
Director of Economic Development, Emergency Services and Information Systems, Garry Martin said: “While broadband is an important utility, it is not something the Council can act as a vocal point for.
“If you have difficulty, residents should contact them directly.”
He added if it is a structural issue or something to do with government’s broadband plan, the council will be happy to work on that.
Cllr Patrick McGowan reiterated Cllr Doherty’s comments and added that the National Broadband Plan for Ireland report states that Donegal will not be fully connected until 2026.
He said: “Hopefully Donegal will be moved up the hill a wee bit and will be secured before then,” said Cllr McGowan.
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