Pádraig O'Sullivan (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister. My office has been inundated with broadband queries since the onset of this pandemic. My constituents are very frustrated. I often hear from households of five and six people where both parents are working from home and three or four children are trying to continue their studies online, both at second level and third level. It is nearly impossible for them to do this because of their poor Internet connection.

I have made several representations to Eir and NBI but because many of these Eircode postal codes are included in the national broadband plan, I am informed there is nothing that can be done, and I receive a generic response, much to my frustration and that of my constituents. One of my constituents recently remarked: “I work from home using my phone through a hotspot and do not have Wi-Fi fast enough to do my job”. Other constituents drive to nearby public buildings to access basic services and people at home are unable to give their schooling or studies their full attention.

Unfortunately, this is becoming the norm in my constituency. We have all now accepted that the pandemic will be with us for the foreseeable future. Can anything be done for my constituents in the short term or is it simply a case of waiting for the roll-out of the national broadband plan?

See this speech in context