Fibrus to appear before Economy Committee in relation to lengthy Broadband outages

Sinn Féin MLA, Emma Sheerin, intends to relay the experiences of her many frustrated constituents directly with the team at Fibrus this week, when they appear before the Economy Committee.

Speaking in advance of the meeting, the Mid Ulster representative referred to the devastating impact Storm Éowyn recently had on connectivity across the north, particularly in rural County Derry, and how a lack of reaction on the part of Fibrus really extended the disruption for local people.

ABOVE: Sinn Féin MLA Emma Sheerin is set to press Fibrus for answers in relation to the recent problems in rural areas.

“I recently joined the Economy Committee at Stormont, and a session with Fibrus was one of my priorities, given the scale of the problems with their service in our area.

“I’m delighted to say that this will happen on Wednesday, which will allow us to hopefully get some proper answers for those who, after the recent storm, found themselves unlucky enough to be without internet for as long as a month in some cases.

“Fibrus obviously benefited hugely from Department for Economy funding when they won the contract to deliver fibre across the north via Project Stratum, and whilst the roll out of fibre broadband in rural areas which previously had no connection is a huge success, the ongoing maintenance and repairs work needs to given the same priority.

“I have had multiple constituents who were unable to access fibre without paying a huge fee as a result of administrative errors which seen them left off the pointer system, and some of the same issues seem to be arising with the roll out of Project Gigabit.

“Everyone understands that Storm Éowyn was an unprecedented weather event, a storm that we will hopefully never have to see again. But people were left bewildered after their electricity was restored within days, yet their internet took another week/fortnight to come back on.

“In an age where many of us rely on internet for work or study, it is no longer a luxury in most homes. To be reimbursed to the tune of £5 a day, (for the period 2 days after electricity restoration) when you are relying on internet at home for work, or to run a business, is not sufficient. I will be raising these issues, again, with Fibrus.

“In the meantime, I would urge anyone who had their service disrupted to apply for compensation via Compensation Claim - Fibrus.”