Offaly to declare itself "Broadband Republic"

bealtine

http://www.techcentral.ie/article.aspx?id=16595&utm_source=TechCentral+newsletter&utm_campaign=5f98e58bf1-TC_News_April_01_Friday4_1_2011&utm_medium=email

An official from Tullamore Chamber of Commerce has confirmed plans are afoot to have Offaly excempted from the national broadband scheme.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said members of the Chamber had met to voice concerns about the slow roll-out of broadband and poor quality of the services it has promised to deliver.

It was later decided the county would become a "Broadband Republic" and a motion would be put to the County Council to opt out of the scheme and explore the viability fibre network capable of speeds in excess of 100Mb/s via a public/private partnership.

At present the national strategey promises speeds of just over 1Mb/s delivered through a combination of metropolitan area networks, mobile dongles and satellite for remote areas.

"Broadband services are essential to developing the local economy, and we feel very let down by successive governments in this regard. For example, we've been trying to set up an official gaming clan for Tullamore Chamber and it's just not happening," said the source. "Do you know how humiliating it is to have some brat from Manitoba beat you at Call of Duty?"

An official statement is expected some time today.

Stinicker

Those bogheads wouldn't know broadband if it slapped them in the face. Nice April fools though. When I saw Offaly and anything progressive in the same sentence I knew something was amiss!