A Government-funded programme has brought broadband to a small village on the Roscommon/Longford border but seven local schools can't avail of it.
While the Government has said it wants to bring broadband to every school in the country, schools in Lanesboro and Ballyleague have no funding to tap into the new broadband service available in their town.
Community leaders yesterday called on the Minister for Education, Ms Hanafin, to provide the money to allow 1,000 schoolchildren immediate access to broadband.
The anomaly arose at the launch of the Lakeside Broadband Scheme, which has brought broadband to the towns by wireless network.
Up to 60 local residents and business people are expected to sign up for the service in the coming weeks, but the seven local schools will not because they have not got the money.
The Minister for Gaeltacht, Community and Rural Affairs, Mr Ó Cuív, said at the launch that the Government is about to seek tenders to deliver broadband to every school in the country.
But, in the interim, according to Mr Hughie Baxter of Lough Ree Development Co-op, funding for broadband in schools has been cut off - with the result that the seven local schools must stay outside the loop for now.
"We are on such a tight budget we couldn't give the service free of charge, so we are calling on the Department of Education to look at providing an interim solution. Schoolchildren are very interested in using broadband," he said.
Mr Ó Cuív said he was delighted to see small towns and villages getting ahead of some urban areas in providing affordable broadband access. He called on other communities to follow the lead of Lanesboro and Ballyleague.