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

I welcome that the Minister is here for the debate because this is a reflection on every community, not only those in rural areas.

There has been an issue with the broadband services provided through the Eircom exchange in Banteer in County Cork over the past couple of months and I am dealing with a number of businesses and consumers who are looking for broadband.

At the outset, broadband is as important to the community in Banteer or any other community in north Cork as electricity was in the 1950s. The Government should accept the need to make it a priority to ensure the broadband services are delivered.

There has been an issue in relation to this community over the past number of months and the community council has been active in trying to engage and liaise with Eircom to get a response on the issue. There has been a number of issues. Eircom has come back with issues in relation to the modem and other matters, and the community council has quite clearly come back and stated that on these issues what Eircom has been telling it is completely untrue and that we are without proper broadband services. Everybody within the community is using the Internet no more than those in urban centres and they need it at this stage.

In Banteer, there have been numerous commitments in relation to Eircom's exchange. It simply is not happening there.

Back in July, it became apparent that the quality of the service had deteriorated enormously. Several employers in the community have been on to Eircom about the broadband services in the area but have been fobbed off. However, it is now clear Eircom has not taken control of the issue or repaired the service. Will the Minister intervene in this case? It will take a whole-of-government intervention to deal with this broadband crisis in rural areas. Many of the communities with which I deal with tell me their main issue is with the poor provision of broadband services.

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