Terence Flanagan (Dublin North East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Like Deputy Denis Naughten, I very much welcome the introduction of the Bill which will, for the first time, allow the ESB to become involved in the area of fibre optic broadband which will be delivered straight to people's homes and businesses. The involvement of the ESB in the market will help consumers and encourage more competition in the market. Having multiple providers such as UPC and Sky has ensured service of a better quality, better coverage and, crucially, lower prices for consumers.

The issue of broadband is raised regularly in this House. Multinationals ask the speed of broadband in particular countries and regions. It is measured regularly by the National Competitiveness Council. It is important for businesses, particularly those that are constantly on the move, to have proper connectivity. To date, broadband has been patchy in certain parts of our constituencies.

I would be very hopeful that over time, between the targets in the national broadband plan and what the ESB is planning to do, we will be able to deal with the deficit that exists. In my constituency of Dublin Bay North, there are parts of Raheny, which is only four miles away from the city centre, which have significant problems. Broadband speed in some parts of Raheny is only at 3bps while in other parts it is 48mbps. This problem has occurred because of the refusal by Dublin City Council to give permission for the installation of cabinets by Eircom to improve its broadband service. Such barriers should not exist if we want to improve the situation for businesses and households and enable them to get instant connectivity. From the consumer's point of view it is unacceptable because they are being charged the same price for a lesser service. They want to have access to a decent, fibre-optic broadband service.

The Government has been very proactive in this area and the Minister has announced a number of initiatives to improve the situation. The national broadband plan outlines the Government's objective of ensuring that at least 50% of the population will have access to broadband speeds of between 70 and 100 mbps by 2015. Some might argue that such a target is merely aspirational but it is important to set targets so that everyone knows what we hope to achieve.

It is good to see that the ESB is moving with the times and is willing to diversify, to move into a new area and offer new products and services. I wish the company well and join Deputy Naughten in thanking the staff of the ESB for their good work over the Christmas period when they reconnected so many homes affected by the storms. I am also delighted that the staff did not go on strike in the run-up to Christmas. That could have caused a lot of reputational damage to the country and huge inconvenience to consumers.

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