The National Broadband plan must be flexible when it comes to connecting local businesses to reliable high speed Internet.
Hanly Quarries in Elphin are calling for case by case amendments to be made to the broadband rollout scheme in certain vital commercial situations.
The Roscommon company says older phone line infrastructure around Elphin is resulting in the company losing dozens of business days with a loss of revenue up to €500,000 so far this year.
General Manager of the business, Enda Hanly, says that they are being pushed towards a broadband based phone service, but lack the connectivity to support that service.
Speaking in the Seanad yesterday after the issue was raised by Senator Eugene Murphy, Junior Minister Ossian Smyth agreed to work with to company to identify a solution.
With the company facing a three year wait for connection to the National Broadband Plan, Enda says the Minister must look after local businesses:
'It's something that the Minister should be looking at as a priority in relation to looking after local businesses.
If it was a new business or an international businesses, they'd have the red mat rolled out and these things would be looked after.
I think they should be able to look after local businesses just as well, and I'm hoping the Minister will do so.'
