Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Having listened to the debate it is clear that there is support on all sides of the House for delivering high speed broadband to the 1.1 million people living in the national broadband plan intervention area. My fellow Clare man, Deputy Harty, asked three questions. He asked when the contract would be signed? I hope it will be signed before the end of the year. He asked what the cost would be? It will be €2.14 billion, plus VAT, with a contingency figure of €480 million. He asked what the cost to the consumer would be? It will be the same as that of the retail offering in the commercial area, with a €100 connection fee for retailers.

Access to a high speed broadband service is important tor everyone in Ireland, no matter where he or she lives. High quality, reliable connectivity allows us to harness the economic and social benefits of participating in a digitally-enabled society. When it comes to the availability of high speed broadband in Ireland, there is a growing urban-rural digital divide. The national broadband plan aims to eliminate that digital divide and ensure it will not re-emerge in the decades ahead. The clear commitment of this and the previous Government is that everyone in Ireland should have access to high speed broadband. The Government has encouraged investment by the telecommunications sector.

Commercial operators have invested more than €2.75 billion in upgrading, expanding and modernising their networks in the past five years. In 2012 fewer than one third of premises had access to high speed broadband. The investment made since by commercial operators has resulted in three quarters of the population having access to high speed broadband, which is very welcome. It makes it all the more important that we move ahead without delay with the national broadband plan to make sure those in rural areas will not be left further behind. Without the national broadband plan, many homes, schools and businesses will be left behind in a two-tier digital society.

While there has been a lot of focus on the ownership question, the reality is that the decision to divest the State of its telecommunications infrastructure was taken 20 years ago. Against that reality, the national broadband plan cannot result in a new State-owned network emerging. Instead, connectivity will be achieved by leveraging existing infrastructure to the greatest degree possible. That is the most efficient and cost-effective way of bridging the connectivity gap. Connectivity will be delivered by deploying fibre on poles and in ducts owned by Eir or the ESB and by locating equipment in exchanges owned by Eir or the MANs. NBI will own fibre cable and electronic equipment deployed on rented infrastructure. There will not be a single network owned by a private company or the State.

The value in the national broadband plan to the State is that it guarantees the provision of a future-proofed, high speed broadband service for 1.1 million people who would otherwise be left behind. The gap-funded model will achieve this, while incentivising NBI to invest continually to improve the service. There are 1.1 million people, 56,000 farms, 44,000 businesses and 674 schools waiting on the plan which will ensure those living and working in the intervention area will be able to avail of the many and varied benefits of high speed broadband. It will enable the creation of new enterprises and businesses to expand. New remote working opportunities will increase the talent pool available to employers. High speed connectivity will create new opportunities for education, smart farming, tourism and health. It will also be critical in promoting more balanced regional development and achieving the goals of the climate action plan. High speed connectivity for all is a goal we share. Delaying the national broadband plan, or steering it off course, would serve only to delay achieving this objective. It would disadvantage those living and working in predominantly rural areas covered by the State intervention area. We have spent the time necessary to consider the strategy and develop the plan. This is the time to move forward to the delivery phase. It is time to tell the 1.1 million people living and working in the intervention area that we will not accept a digitally divided Ireland. I urge the Members of this House to send a clear signal to them that the national broadband plan should proceed to the deployment phase without delay, bringing much needed connectivity to rural Ireland. The time for talking is over. The time for implementation is now.

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