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

I thank the Minister for his thorough response. I am happy that the Minister has indicated his willingness to discuss with the county councils the cases in which planning permission has been refused to service providers wishing to upgrade their networks to provide a better service to their customers. The real issue is the cost of broadband, which must be looked at. There is also a problem in certain neighbourhoods with the speed available on one road being far superior to that on adjoining roads. In those circumstances, people feel they are paying a high price but are not receiving the same level of service. That must be dealt with.

Does the Minister have an indicative date for Eircom's plans to roll out the eFibre programme? What plans does the Minister have to deal with the overall cost of broadband? As Deputy Moynihan pointed out earlier, the cost of broadband services here is the third highest in Europe. Given that the Government is focused on improving our economic competitiveness, the high cost of broadband vis-à-vis our European neighbours is deserving of more attention. Having said that, I welcome the fact that there are so many providers involved in the market now. The market is competitive, but how will prices be driven down? Is there anything that the Minister can do in that regard? The quality of the service is also important; homeowners are looking for a decent broadband service.

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