Mulcahy’s ‘no’ to internet charges increase

Senator Tony Mulcahy has called on Eircom and other fibre broadband providers not to increase internet charges after Commission for Communications Regulation (Comreg) said rural internet users are not paying the full cost of broadband provision.

Senator Mulcahy, who is Fine Gael Seanad spokesperson on Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, expressed his concern following a report byIrelandOffline which outlines how urban broadband customers are subsidising rural users and that Eircom may apply to the regulator to raise its rural broadband prices to recover rural costs.

He has pledged to contact COMREG and Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Alex White, requesting them to discourage operators from introducing price hikes.

“The quality of fibre broadband services in rural parts of County Clare is generally well below that of what is provided in larger towns such as Kilrush, Shannon and Ennis,” he observed.