Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)

This constituency is at the forefront of national endeavour and not just in hurling. The area is bereft of broadband. The usual excuse is that the lines are deficient because we paired lines to cope with the number of houses in the 70s and 80s on a particular line. Why are failure levels on our network as high as 25% when the rate in Northern Ireland is 1%, according to the last ComReg survey? ComReg and Eircom sometimes deny that failure rates are so high. The network should be maintained to the highest standard.

As the incumbent transmission network operator, Eircom refers to launching next generation networks. There is a fear among telecoms companies that such next generation networks could be used as a cover to bypass unbundling the local loop. Even where the local loop is unbundled a roadblock will still result. An amendment along these lines should be considered. It is a national communications network and should be maintained to the highest standard.

Amendment No. 16 provides another function for ComReg to intervene directly on behalf of end users where service contracts or the universal service obligation have been broken and to ensure compliance by undertakings with the terms of those contracts. I am not sure which of these two Bills the Minister was present for because we debated them so quickly. He was out of the country for the Broadcasting (Amendment) Bill. I referred earlier to the collapse of Smart Telecom. We have also received complaints about NTL and the changes made to payment methods. Complaints have also been made against a host of other operators. "Liveline" dedicated a show to the difficulty for consumers in ensuring compliance with contracts. This amendment is similar to amendment No. 10 in requiring ComReg to undertake a direct role in ensuring compliance. The Minister may suggest that ComReg will be doing so in respect of the rest of the Bill by seeking information, calling in companies and pursuing court actions. This role should be listed among ComReg's functions.

Amendment No. 16 arose from complaints made by Deputy Stagg in respect of provision of a landline service in new estates in Kildare North. People had to wait more than nine months to have a landline connected. This is unacceptable. The last quarterly ComReg survey stated that 99% of cases were dealt with in less than 115 working days. The previous report estimated that it took 171 working days, the best part of a year. Under the terms of this amendment it shall be a function of the commission to ensure that any telecommunications service provider whose business includes the provision of landline telephone service shall provide such a service within three months of the receipt by that provider of a customer order.

People had to wait for a year in the 1970s to receive a landline. My predecessor in the Dublin North-East constituency was Minister for Posts and Telegraphs in the 1970s and invested in the communications network. Under the current Minister's regime estates in Kildare North must wait longer than people did in the 1970s. That is an indictment of the outgoing Administration.

I refer to the community of the Black Valley in Kerry who appeared before the Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. Deputies also visited the area. A group of citizens in a particular geographical area did not receive a basic service from the incumbent operator. Through the period the Minister has been in office the Black Valley issue has not been resolved, despite his discussions with Deputy O'Donoghue, one of the local representatives. My party colleague, Deputy Moynihan-Cronin, has been very vocal on the matter. Unfortunately, this matter will have to be resolved under the next Government.

Amendment No. 16 seeks that providers of landlines — perhaps it will become a broadband service now — should ensure the service is provided within three months of receipt of a customer order. This is crucial in particular for new communities such as those in north Kildare and other expanding areas in the Leinster and Munster regions, for example, and is something the Minister should adhere to. This is a collection of what I believe would be good functions for ComReg. Perhaps the Minister will not accept any of the amendments. In the event, perhaps they will be the core of a better communications Bill in the next four or five years.

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