No MAN leaves Westport in broadband "Stone Age" says Martin

Westport is being left behind towns such as Castlebar and Ballina and the Knock Airport/Kilitmagh area in terms of high speed broadband according to Cllr Keith Martin of the Westport Multi Agency Taskforce's Broadband and Film Promotion sub-committee.

 

According to the Labour councillor "Whereas Ballina and Knock airport/Kiltimagh have operating Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) delivering extremely high-speed broadband Westport has no such fibre optic cabling  which leaves the town with no broadband capability beyond 3Mbs.  (Castlebar has a inactive fibre optic cable route which could deliver a similar MAN service when activated.)

 

"Compare our 3Mbs with the 100Mbs possible with a MAN and you can see how far behind the others we are.  Any industry relying on extremely high speed broadband is going to make a bee-line for Ballina or Knock/Kilitmagh and not Westport.

 

"Without a fibre optic cable like those in Ballina or even Castlebar, Westport is going to find itself in a type of Broadband 'Stone Age' when it comes to meeting the needs of 21^st century business and industry." 

 

Cllr Martin says his committee has, since its establishment, been lobbying the Government for a MAN for Westport and made a presentation to Minister Dempsey on Westport's need for a MAN in 2006.

 

"At that time we were told our needs would be considered as part of a review of the MAN programme but there has been no progress since then. 

 

"I have written to the Department of Communications and the new Minister, Eamon Ryan TD, to outline once again, why Westport needs a MAN in order to compete for investment and industry with towns like Ballina and Castlebar and I have requested a meeting with his Department to discuss the issue.

 

"In addition to this request I have made a submission to the Department of Communication's review of Next Generation Broadband and the MAN programme calling for a MAN for Westport.  We must push for extremely high speed broadband if we are serious about making Westport a viable and attractive location for investment and industry for the future."