Brian Stanley (Laois, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the witness and his staff. I have two short questions. Mr. Ansip has correctly referred to the importance of creating the digital single market and the fact that we are in eighth place is good. We are improving at a slower rate.

Collectively, the national broadband plan will be rolled out over the next couple of years. I hope it will help to move us forward and to maintain the pace of growth.

Roaming charges are due to be abolished on 15 June 2017. Ireland is the only country that will have a problem, due to the unfortunate active partition of the country with its artificial Border. Britain will still be in the European Union as its act of political kamikaze will not be completed by 15 June 2017 and for some time afterwards but Brexit will be completed. How can we safeguard roaming charges in Northern Ireland? If an Irish person travels to Estonia or Romania he or she will be protected against increased mobile phone roaming charges. If one travels a few miles up the road on this island, as Britain will be outside the EU, a mobile phone user could be faced with increased roaming charges. I need not tell the committee the effect such charges will have on business, commerce, and people who trade North and South. Most political parties and businesses are trying increase North-South trade.

My next questions are on geo-blocking. Who will create active geo-blocking? BBC has a programme called "Spotlight" that is available in the North but not in the South. Who is responsible for this situation? Is it a free market issue? How can we remove geo-blocking? One can appreciate that people living on a small island comprised of a little over 6 million people need access to the same media sources. If people are not charged extra for mobile phone usage when they travel to Estonia, Bulgaria or Romania then the same situation should exist in Belfast, Tyrone and Fermanagh.