James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. I asked this question because of the deep frustration felt by people in County Wexford. Fibre broadband to the home is the key to bridging the rural divide in providing access to digital technologies. In County Wexford there are areas that completely lack access to broadband. People are getting deeply frustrated, fed up and annoyed at this. In particular, lack of access to broadband is holding back rural economies which have potential. They want to develop their economies, but they are simply not able to do so. It extends out and does not just affect businesses. Pretty much everything done at home, whether it be homework, completing grant or medical card applications or whatever else, is now done online now and people cannot do it. Similarly, the farming community which wants to develop modern efficient technologies on their farms cannot do so without access to broadband. Providing access to high speed fibre broadband is absolutely critical for all rural communities.

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