Paul Connaughton (Galway East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Leas-Cheann Comhairle for the opportunity to speak on this Bill.

If citizens across this country are to receive equal treatment, then access to basic infrastructure is vital and what we have at present, in terms of industries and householders reliant on broadband, is a two-speed Ireland.

I welcome the provisions of this Bill, which will provide greater freedom to ESB in terms of broadband infrastructure, which in turn can be used by other providers, but this represents only the beginning of a long process if dwellers in rural Ireland are to be able to access the broadband services they deserve.

One need only look at the percentage of fibre connections as a total of broadband connections to see the extent of the poor performance to date. Ireland ranks above only Greece and below a range of countries, including Korea, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Mexico and Chile.

Rural areas all across Ireland are losing out because micro-enterprises can no longer locate in rural areas given the abysmal level of broadband available. Even when one raises this issue in the context of a company that perhaps would create three jobs in a rural area, there is no movement or impetus to ensure that when jobs are at stake all necessary provisions are put in place to ensure that the right level of broadband is available.

In decades gone by, significant emphasis was placed on bringing vital infrastructure such as electricity to rural areas, but I see no such vision in terms of broadband. We simply get the mantra that the aim is to ensure that a set percentage of people in the country have access to high-speed broadband, when this simply translates as having high-speed broadband available in Dublin and its hinterland.

I have made repeated representations to the Minister on broadband availability in areas such as Athenry, Mountbellew, Moylough, Ballymacward and Tuam - I welcome the fact that the necessary ducting has been provided in Tuam - but the repeated mantra is that since market liberalisation in 1999 broadband services are delivered in the first instance through private sector operators. How many homes in Ireland would be able to switch on the lights if the national electrification scheme was left to private providers?

In recent weeks, I was contacted by a company in Headford, County Galway, seeking to double its workforce with the creation of 20 jobs, but broadband is the stumbling block. I have brought this matter to the attention of the Ministers, Deputies Rabbitte and Bruton, and also to the attention of the Taoiseach. I certainly am not happy with the response I received so far from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation. Unemployment is a major issue in County Galway and all Departments should be working together to secure these potential jobs.

Leaving this vital national infrastructure to private providers will mean that there will be excellent services in the cities, good service in the larger towns, a mediocre service in smaller towns and poor provision in rural areas, or certainly the speed necessary to locate a business in a rural area will not be available. Broadband is not a luxury for rural businesses; it is a necessity. One need only ask any local business person. If rural areas are not to be left behind on this particular highway, then the current framework of leaving services to the private sector will have to change.

Fibre to the building, FTTB, is the level of service that is required in towns such as Ballinasloe, Loughrea, Tuam, Athenry and Mountbellew, and while there has been some movement on this, it has been slow. We remain over-reliant on congested copper cabling and business and home owners in Ireland continue to fall behind in European terms when it comes to bandwidth and the price of Internet services.

I was recently contacted by a businessman in County Galway who can get fibre broadband in his Finland offices for €50 per month and can get the same service in Prague for €100 per month. In Ireland, that costs €2,700 per month. This is having serious repercussions on the competitiveness of Ireland, in particular, on the competitiveness of vast swathes of Ireland that lie outside the major cities.

Another issue I wish to raise in respect of the Bill is the extension of the wayleave rights. Previously, only ESB had the right to enter private property, but this Bill extends that right to companies working in partnership with ESB in the provision of communication networks or services. An extensive information campaign, including letters to every ESB customer, is necessary to ensure that all ESB customers whose lands have a wayleave right for ESB are properly informed of this change. Otherwise, it would give rise to a situation where landowners will confront workers who they believe are trespassing on their lands when in fact the wayleave right will have been amended through this legislation. It is crucial that this change is communicated to landowners by the ESB as soon as is practicable.

This Bill is a step forward in terms of putting the mechanisms in place whereby improved broadband services can be provided, but the pace of change remains frustrating, particularly for those in small towns and rural areas across Ireland.

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