Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak to this motion. As the House will be aware, the importance of the online economy cannot be underestimated. Broadband is a vital resource for business. It provides significant growth opportunities for businesses that trade online and a global market for rural tourism and small artisan producers. It is also an important resource for schools, private homes and organisations.

The Ludgate Hub in Skibbereen is a fantastic facility, with 1 GB of super-fast broadband and state-of-the-art facilities. Outside of this, towns and rural areas in west Cork, including Schull, Goleen, Durrus and as far away as Inis Orga in Bandon are struggling with no, or subpar, broadband. We are told the NBP will take seven years to roll out and will cost €3 billion, but we can take that estimated cost with a grain of salt. Without broadband, expensive electronic equipment such as whiteboards purchased by primary schools and efforts by Age Action to promote computer literacy among the elderly in rural areas, are undermined.

The Irish Farmers' Association has said that broadband is an essential tool for the business of farming but many farmers are still struggling with dial-up connection speeds, never mind fibre broadband. In our cities, we have world-class Internet speeds, but rural areas rank among the worst served regions of Europe. Rural broadband is no longer a luxury; it is a social and economic necessity. With adequate broadband, rural Ireland would become sustainable into the future. It would provide entrepreneurs with an opportunity to remain, providing much-needed jobs and strengthening local economies.

According to the Central Statistics Office, CSO, 11% of the population have no broadband and 89% have some broadband but the majority of them use their smartphones for Internet access. People who built homes in west Cork are being quoted extortionate amounts to connect to the wired grid. There is a universal service fund in America. Congress created a mandatory charge for carriers of voice service and Internet providers. It requires a contribution of a percentage of their revenues for providing these services. This was first implemented in 1988 to ensure affordable access to telecommunications services to help provide Internet access for rural healthcare facilities.

The Government has failed the people in broadband service provision. It also failed the people in regard to mobile telephony service provision. Two successive Governments have failed the people continually on these issues.

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