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

I welcome the opportunity to speak in the debate. I commend those who have tabled the motion before the House, thereby allowing Dáil Éireann to discuss this very important issue.

There have been two major infrastructure projects in this country – the ESB from the 1930s to the 1950s, and the installation of a telephone system decades later. Now we are rolling out broadband. A two-tier society is developing whereby there are those with access to broadband and those without. We have catalogued many companies, individuals and families who have made decisions to move to rural areas because of access to broadband due to the potential for improved quality of life and the ability to deal with work commitments. Nearly all Members who serve rural communities are aware of the situation. Agriculture is our greatest indigenous industry and it is very much regulated. The sector provides a fantastic product and now it is very much dependent on access to online services for record keeping and other purposes. There is a major vacuum in broadband services.

Some of those involved in the telecommunications industry made a presentation to Oireachtas Members in the AV room last week. A range of issues were raised, including mobile phone coverage. Deputy Dooley and I were members of a committee in the previous Dáil and industry representatives came before it as well. The fulfilment of the terms of reference in terms of the licence they have leaves much to be desired. The areas with poor mobile phone coverage 20 years ago are the same ones that lack coverage today.

The Minister has outlined the first steps towards providing a broadband connection for each and every citizen. There are great fears, especially in rural communities, in spite of the great plans. One initiative was announced between the ESB and Vodafone to share their networks and bring broadband to provincial towns, but it only brought broadband to areas that were commercially viable. The biggest issue is that between 30% and 40% of the land mass of the State has a difficulty with broadband reception. Many of the private sector initiatives around the country, such as for wireless broadband services, are hit and miss. We cannot get broadband in rural communities and we are disadvantaged because of that.

The Minister was a member of the same committee of which I was a member in the previous Dáil. I congratulate him and wish him well in the role, because it is very challenging. The previous two Ministers were from Dublin and, while they had the full facts in front of them, perhaps they did not appreciate the seriousness of the situation. I take it that, coming from the part of the country from which the Minister comes, he knows full well the seriousness of the situation that is facing rural communities. I was contacted by people from parts of Meath in recent years who are only 15 miles from O’Connell Street in Dublin but who have difficulty not only with broadband but also with mobile phone coverage. It is not just the people in the west or the south taking the pain; the problem is affecting areas adjacent to other regions as well.

I am aware the Minister is transposing the European directive. Where do we stand in terms of State aid? What agreement has been reached with the European Union and what stage is the process at? The Minister’s predecessor constantly told us a decision would be made, for example, by the middle of 2014. In 2015 he said the same and he also said more information was required by the EU. How far advanced is the process at the moment in terms of the European Union buying into the plan? The fundamental point about infrastructure must be made strongly because we are connecting Ireland into this century. Unfortunately, we are far behind the curve, but we are connecting all parts of the country into this century. No matter where one is or how remote it is, every single parish has people who stay at home or who are working from home and providing a fantastic service. We must embrace that as well.

In order to apply a proper spatial strategy in the future, we must ensure that remote areas do not become wastelands, with the population leaving because services are not available. A broadband service is as important in Kishkeam in County Cork as it is in O’Connell Street in Dublin. I urge the Minister to clarify the situation in terms of the European Union. One could ask whether we are building castles in the sand until it ponies up an agreement. We must ensure adequate broadband speeds are introduced because we saw what happened with postcodes last year when the emergency services did not buy into the system. Emergency services, by and large, are controlled from a central location, but the necessary backup does not currently exist. We must do a lot more work in order to ensure rural communities are connected.

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