Pat Casey (Wicklow, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I support Deputy Dooley in bringing forward this welcome motion to address sensibly the shambles that is the seven-year saga of the roll-out of rural broadband. In Wicklow more than 34,000 people are still awaiting a connection. A perfect example is my home village of Laragh and Glendalough, where the primary school is not connected, the Brockagh Resource Centre is not connected, farmers who need to complete forms online are not connected, local residents have no broadband, business needs are not connected and - forgive my indulgence - my own hotel business is still not connected. Glendalough, the most beautiful valley in Ireland - sorry, Margaret - is in a rural location that attracts more than 1 million visitors a year, and in 2018 it still has no broadband. There is a connection between those rural parts of west and south Wicklow, including parts of some of our towns and villages where there is no broadband, and those areas where the economic recovery has not yet happened.

In Wicklow we have seen many opportunities to develop our economy and our society. We have all worked to develop these opportunities. However, in every industry broadband is as important as electricity. There is no point having a rural development programme, no point having an agribusiness strategy and no point having a national planning framework if rural Ireland does not have broadband connectivity. However, this crisis is being managed as a political communications problem, with the appalling spin that with one buyer left, this process is actually improving. This would be laughable if it were not so important to people living in rural Wicklow. Time and time again, people in rural Wicklow are treated as second-class citizens. We are told we should not expect the same treatment as urban Ireland. We are told to stay quiet and wait. Rural Wicklow is sick and tired of being treated in this manner. We want our voices listened to. We are citizens and we will no longer be ignored. I urge the Minister of State to do the right thing and to listen. We want responsible leadership. Process is as important here as results. Rural Ireland wants broadband delivered in a responsible way, with oversight and control. Rural people are rightly angered, having had enough of Fine Gael's patronising attitude.

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