Broadband service is ‘cat melodeon'

By Kieran O’Mahony  

COUNCILLORS have called on broadband providers to improve their service across the county. 

At a meeting of Cork County Council this week, a motion from Fermoy councillors in relation to broadband was raised and several members called for the motion to include the whole county, not just Fermoy.

Cllr Frank O’Flynn (FF) said that both phone coverage and broadband is getting worse – not just in his area around Fermoy but across the county.

‘I’m calling on the service providers to step up to the mark as it’s not good enough and this is especially important when it comes to contacting the  emergency services where there is no reception. If these service providers can’t provide the basic service, then they need to step off,’ he said. 

Cllr Noel McCarthy (FG) said it was a huge issue on the doorsteps during the election.

Cllr Danny Collins (Ind) pointed out that half of West Cork doesn’t have phone coverage either, and that the situation with broadband was ‘cat melodeon’.

Cllr Mary Hegarty (FG) said the level of broadband is horrendous and called for a proper broadband system for the whole of the county and said the motion should be all-inclusive of this. Cllr Kevin Murphy (FG) also agreed that it’s a county-wide issue.

Mayor of County Cork, Cllr John Paul O’Shea (Ind) said that the issue of poor mobile and broadband coverage is on the agenda of a Development Strategic Policy Committee (SPC) which was meeting that afternoon.

Cllr Frank O’Flynn said he was agreeable to extend his motion to include the whole county.