Much of Connemara is to be catered for under the government's National Broadband Scheme, the Galway Independent has learned.

Areas that are currently broadband-free across the country will be covered by the government scheme, as private companies have declined to provide services in rural areas, which would not be profitable.

Recess currently has no broadband facilities, as highlighted in last week's Galway Independent. A fibre-optic line provides broadband to Clifden, passing by Recess, as part of an Udarás na Gaeltachta-funded scheme. Eircom provides this line, however, and is unwilling to extend it any further, or to broadband-enable the telephone exchange at Recess, for financial reasons.

However, eircom is one of the companies bidding to participate in the government's National Broadband Scheme, along with BT Communications Ireland Ltd Consortium, Hutchinson 3G Ireland Ltd and a consortium made up of the Irish Farmers Association and Motorola.

One of the companies will be appointed by the end of June this year to commence works on the service. However, according to a spokesperson from the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resource, "When services will commence is a little harder to say as that is currently part of the discussions we're having with the four competing consortia but needless to say we hope it would be as soon as possible after June 2008."

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