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A civil servant received one of the coldest receptions ever afforded to a visitor at a Galway County Council meeting earlier this week when he gave a presentation on the National Broadband Plan. Sean Griffin from the Department of Communications was handed the unenviable task of delivering an update on the plan, and how it would affect long-suffering internet users in rural Galway. But it was unlikely that Mr Griffin had reckoned on a chamber packed with 39 irate councillors, each of whom was awarded time to speak on the contentious issue. And it was not pretty. At one stage the department representative was even accused of pedalling “happy pills’’ to pacify a bunch that were anything but happy.

The Minister of State at the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Joe McHugh, has reiterated that the National Broadband Plan process will look at prioritising broadband blackspots.

In the ten year period, commencing in 2001, the Social Protection budget increased by 266 per cent. The cumulative rate of inflation in that period was a mere 30 per cent.

Rural areas of Westmeath are to benefit from a minimum of 30mbps of broadband under the National Broadband Plan. That’s according to a representative of the Department of Communications who gave a presentation to members of Westmeath County Council last week.

What a boost Allergan gave the county when it announced on Monday morning the creation of 200 jobs, 250 construction jobs, and an investment of $350 million in the Westport company.

Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte has called on people living in rural areas who are unable to avail of broadband to register for the Rural Broadband Scheme before tomorrow’s deadline.

Irish Rural Link has warned that the time for making applications under the Rural Broadband Scheme will come to an end on July 29. The scheme applies to households and premises which are outside of the regions covered by the earlier National Broadband Scheme.

Some 33 new electoral districts in Kilkenny now have broadband with a minimum download speed of 1.6Mbps and maximum of 6.8Mbps available.

A new European Scheme will ensure people living and working in rural areas in Co Galway, and across Ireland, will finally be able to get broadband connected to their homes and businesses.

Commenting on figures released by the Central Statistics Office on broadband connection, Sinn Féin candidate for the Ballyragget Electoral Area, Ray Quinlan has said that the latest CSO data only serves to highlight the continued failure of the Government’s broadband strategy.