I am puzzled at the recent broadband activity in our area. We have had internet of a sort for the last number of years.

It has come to us through the old copper wires that were originally installed by the old Department of Post and Telegraphs (P&T) when, many years ago, we had the phone put in.

That section of the Department went through a badly thought-out privatisation process and several different owners, who all seemed to have been motivated by maximising the debt and short-term profitability at the expense of long-term stability and service with Eir – the latest owner of the old fixed line network.

As our children have grown up, they have found it necessary to hire some type of booster, which has allowed modern high-tech life to be carried out. But now all seems to be changing.

We seem to have the prospect of three different internet suppliers. We live on a once-quiet side road – still without mains water!

But we are in between two ESB transformer stations and 11 large pylons criss-cross over the farm.

If we were on the route of the new northern inter-connector, we would be in line for over half a million euro, but that’s for another day – to get back to broadband.

New fibre-optic wires

A few months ago, Siro, an Electricity Supply Board (ESB) joint venture with Vodafone, laid, under the road, a new fibre-optic cable directly outside the gate.

Just this week, contractors were busy putting up new fibre-optic wires on the old post and telegraph poles that, again, run along the road just outside the gate. This is being carried out by the new National Broadband Company.

There are no immediate plans, it appears, to connect either the Siro line or the national broadband with our actual home.

In the meantime, we have received a communication in the post on behalf of Eir that our internet offering is to be enhanced, with a free new modem to be supplied.

I presume that our Eir broadband will continue to be supplied via the old P&T poles and copper wire. They will also it seems carry the new fibre optic national broadband line.

At this stage, one has to wonder if there is any overall national broadband policy.

I’ve no problem with several competitive offerings, but if there’s this level of duplication all across the country, one has to question if it’s the best use of our resources.