Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 3:

In page 4, between lines 32 and 33, to insert the following:"4. (1) In circumstances where either the Board or the Board in conjunction with another company, while engaging in the business of providing electronic communications either under section 2 or section 3 or both, advertises specific broadband speeds to the consumer, the Board and or the company in question shall be obliged to provide such speeds to the consumer.

(2) Any person who fails to comply with subsection (1) shall be liable to penalty by way of a fine, the amount of which shall be prescribed by the Minister by way of regulation.".

I tabled this amendment on Committee Stage and am doing so again to outline my concerns about the broadband speeds being offered to customers when a package is sold. The numbers do not add up at the end. If a product that is delivered does not match what was advertised - for want of a better phrase, if it does not do exactly what it says on the tin - there will be hell to pay. Some broadband providers claim that their services will increase speeds, yet those increases are not delivered.

I am tabling this amendment because it is important to enshrine this issue in legislation. I have also toyed with the idea of introducing specific legislation on this matter, given its level of importance.

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