Fergus Cassidy

They will not stand and wait

"THE people of the parish were most anxious to avail of electricity supply but they are held up until a higher number of consumers indicate their willingness to avail of the service". 1952 Dail debate on electricity supply to Knockmore, Co Mayo

ELECTRICITY and telephones took their time to arrive in Knockmore (see panel below) in north Mayo, but a group of people living there is about to turn history on its head and write its own plan for the future. Pleading, waiting and hoping will not feature.

Looking out from Lissaniska, it requires a long and wide sweep to take in the beauty of this part of Ireland. Even the grey dullness of the day cannot diminish the expanse of Lough Conn and the arc of Nephin mountain.

Like most of rural Ireland, Knockmore and the surrounding area has a rich history. But when it comes to technology, Knockmore shares its past with many rural areas.

"We know that we stand no chance of getting broadband to this area as things stand right now," said Paul Cunnane, the coordinator of Knockmore Community Network Society. "That's what motivated us to get our network up and running."

In a few weeks' time, the group's work will come to fruition and put Knockmore in the record books as Ireland's first group data scheme - an idea inspired by group water schemes.

The pilot phase is already oversubscribed and the group has plans to increase the bandwidth available when it can. Internet access group IrelandOffline has energetically committed itself to the project and is determined that many more group data schemes will be set up. It hopes to set up a national coordinating body to provide advice and support for community-owned schemes.

"Knockmore is a great model for other rural areas," said Christian Cooke, chairman of IrelandOffline, "because they've clearly shown that do-it-yourself community broadband can be done. It's definitely viable."

Using wireless technology avoids the difficulties in cabling such a dispersed area. The network will use industry-standard 802.11b (WiFi) equipment operating in the license-free 2.4GHz spectrum. This may be updated to 5.8GHz as the co-op grows.

Because of the terrain, the project will use 'mesh' technology. Each co-op member can be both a node and a relay point to others. Co-op membership begins on the purchase of E200 worth of shares. This covers the initial equipment costs in setting up the network, which will be owned entirely by the members. Members will then pay a monthly subscription charge of E35. The co-op is non-profit and any surplus will be put back into the network.

Rural communities traditionally had to wait a long time for the roll-out of any new technology. Whether it was electricity, telephones or water supply, rural areas were on the end of the line. The excuses for not being able to provide important infrastructure were almost always the same: no demand, it's not economically viable.

Exactly the same process is happening now with broadband access around the country - despite the government having deemed broadband to be vital to the country's social and economic well-being.

The initiatives proposed so far are flawed precisely because they repeat the mistakes of the past in being based entirely on a 'trigger' approach to roll-out.

As Eircom's site states: "we are also committed to bringing broadband to communities in Ireland with a population of less than 1,500 people. We have set up the Eircom broadband trigger programme".

This trigger will be activated by "entering your telephone number on our site. Eircom will collect and validate all the votes. Once the trigger number is reached for the site, it will be entered into Eircom's broadband build programme".

Another site launched last week by the Department of Communications, Marine and Natural Resources also contains a 'Vote for Broadband' section.

Knockmore has experienced the in and outs of this particular cul-de-sac before, and is not going to wait around this time. Back in 1952, a TD (elected representative) for the area spoke in the Dail (parliament) and said: "the number of consumers who will guarantee to avail of electricity if it is made available seems a bit high. I am given to understand that it works out at about 85% of the householders of the area... .

"I think that is a rather high standard and I think it should be reduced to at least 70%... I was given to understand that a canvass was carried out in Knockmore about 12 months ago and that the number who promised to avail of the service reached close on 80%, which is very close to the standard laid down."

Following in a long (but increasingly overlooked) tradition of mutual co-operation, Knockmore decided to tap into local energy and know-how, and to take upon itself the role of infrastructure provider. "There's a strong community spirit in Knockmore, and we're going to tap into that and bring broadband to the area. It's essential," said Cunnane.

In the past, people were marooned while waiting for utilities, but Knockmore signals electrifying possibilities of a new kind.



KNOCKMORE'S PAST STRUGGLE FOR INFRASTRUCTURE
STEP BACK to July 1952 and the hallowed halls of Dail Eireann. Patrick Browne, TD, is on his feet during a vote on an industry and commerce bill: "When I moved to report progress on this vote last night, I was dealing with the question of rural electrification in so far as it affected my constituency of North Mayo...

"The people in these parishes have to depend for lighting on the ordinary kerosene lamp and I know that they are very anxious to avail of the facilities of electricity for lighting if such were made available to them" (Dail debates, volume 133).

It took another 17 years before the then minister for transport and power, Erskine Childers, told the Dail that electricity supply would be "extended to all applicants who have accepted terms in County Mayo and in the remainder of the country" (Dail debates, volume 221).

It was the same with the telephone. In 1951, Deputy O'Hara asked the minister for posts and telegraphs if he would state "when he proposes to install a public telephone service at Knockmore, Ballina".

Childers replied: "Knockmore is not scheduled for attention in the call office programme for the current financial year, but its claims will be considered in the preparation of the next year's programme".

The long finger appeared over 20 years later, in 1972, when another Mayo TD asked if the minister was "aware of the urgent need for the provision of a public telephone kiosk at Knockmore".

The minister replied: "The call office telephone at Knockmore post office is little used and the provision of a street kiosk there is not contemplated at present." (Dail debates, volume 264).