Northern Ireland mum brands two-month wait for broadband 'a disgrace'
A Hillsborough woman is breathing a sigh of relief after a two-month wait for a broadband connection at her Co Down home.
Lana Stitt, from Lakeland Road, had been waiting since early September for her telephone and broadband service to be installed at the newly built property.
The mother-of-three, whose husband is disabled, described the eight-week delay in BT doing the work as "disgraceful".
It's understood the difficulty arose over the lack of a particular cable.
The problem came to a head when her 14-year-old son Levi became ill and required emergency medical treatment.
He was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital amid fears he was suffering from meningitis.
She explained: "We did not know what was wrong. I had to use my mobile phone but could not get a signal."
Mrs Stitt had initially contacted BT on September 4.
Commenting on the delay, BT said: "Following an enquiry to our office relating to the provision of services at a previously unserved address on Lakeland Road in Hillsborough, we undertook a thorough investigation and we are glad to report that service was delivered to these new premises on November 7.
"We sincerely apologise for the delay and inconvenience it may have caused. In this instance, the problem was due to inaccurate line plant records associated with this new property which delayed the provision of an external cable in the immediate vicinity."
Mrs Stitt said: "I would not like to have to go through that again. I do not think it was fair, especially when you pay so much."
East Antrim MP Sammy Wilson described broadband provision in the countryside as "disgraceful".
He said: "In rural areas, one-quarter of homes do not have decent broadband speeds that are required to meet typical household needs.
"This means that over 59,000 homes in rural areas are without this essential function."
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