Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

We have a backhaul network throughout the country. The difficulty is the cost, particularly in isolated rural locations. There are regulatory systems in place that allow a company backhaul access if it wants to provide a service. The difficulty is that the cost is very high because the volume of business, having regard to the distance, is very low. Thus, it is expensive to build networks in certain locations, and difficult to obtain backhaul connections. Competition helps bring prices down. With the development of Eircom's main network, a State-supported investment in an ESB backhaul network resulted in further competition to help bring prices down. Similarly, BT's having access to a backhaul network running along railway lines provides competitive pressures which bring prices down. What we want to do in the provision of public infrastructure is to assist the roll-out of broadband. Effectively, what Deputy Coveney is saying is that the State should have access to all private networks. I do not believe that is the step we should take.

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