John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to draw the Minister of State's attention to the fact that rural Ireland is still being left behind in the provision of a proper broadband network. In doing so, I recognise the amount of money that has already been invested by Government in this area but a far greater efficiency in delivery has to be achieved. Beyond Covid, people will work from home a lot more, bigger companies will establish in rural Ireland a lot more and there will be an expansion of the use of technology and the Internet for doing business and doing it swiftly.

In north Kilkenny, for example, and this is the best way to explain it, there are quite a number of businesses, ranging from large and medium businesses to pharmacies, and they all give good employment to people. However, their potential is being hampered by the fact they cannot get reliable and sound broadband. National Broadband Ireland and Eir will give out some information on specific cases, but much more needs to be done to give proper dates and timing to those who are waiting for broadband so that they are able to plan their businesses. The same can be said in Kilkenny city, where you would imagine that broadband would be available generally, particularly fibre-optic, but it is not. Fibre-optic comes, for example, to the boundary of the IDA Ireland business park in Kilkenny but no one seems to want to take on the task of bringing it to each and every business on that estate and there is significant employment being provided in that area. Likewise, you could take Tinnahinch in Carlow and Graiguenamanagh in Kilkenny. Their pathways were recently dug up but no effort was made to lay the ducting for all of this fibre, which is much needed in that rural location. Carlow has a digital strategy for 2021 to 2024 but many companies there complain to me about the availability of proper high-speed broadband. It is affecting their delivery of services or goods and the potential they have for expansion.

There is a need for someone to take ownership of the areas that fall between National Broadband Ireland and the other providers. Every effort must be made to assist companies with grants or whatever other means possible to ensure they get high-speed broadband to their businesses as quickly and efficiently as possible. As we deliver, the world will again pass us out in the speed of fibre with next generation technology. We are badly lagging behind in rural Ireland and it is having a huge effect on business people and individuals who are working from home and who find it very difficult even to engage in meetings on Zoom or Microsoft Teams.

They have breakdowns all the way through. It is not good enough. Given what the Government is spending on this roll-out it should be getting far greater value for money.

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