Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy. He is right and I understand his frustration. As the worst broadband speeds in Ireland are in Roscommon and east Galway, I understand exactly the frustration he is experiencing. As I said to Deputy Eamon Ó Cuív earlier, if we could provide high speed broadband for every home in Ireland on the back of a hare, it cannot come quickly enough as far as I am concerned. That is why the broadband task force is so important in dealing with those in the amber area who are not part of the current roll-out phase of the national broadband plan. They are waiting for completion of the procurement process, particularly in the last 7% or 8% of more isolated areas. On entering the Department 12 months ago, I released 3.6 GHz of spectrum. That auction took place earlier this year and allows for the roll-out of point to point mobile and fixed wireless 5G broadband services in the more isolated parts of Ireland. Already one operator bidding for the contract has come to me and expects to cover 85% of the landmass of the country by 2019. This will deal with many people in County Wexford and other counties who are in the amber area.

I was surprised when I was told by an operator within the past week that some local authorities still charged development charges for telecommunications infrastructure. I want to make it quite clear to the House that I will publicly name those local authorities if they do not stop doing this. They have been issued with a request by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government on a number of occasions not to do so. This is curtailing the roll-out of wireless and mobile broadband services to those counties and they need to be held accountable for it.

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