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

I am glad to have the opportunity to speak on broadband, a subject that has been spoken about in this House for many years. It is something that I became interested in from a community and voluntary perspective before I entered politics. We brought wireless-operated broadband to Goleen in Mizen Head, the last parish in Ireland, 15 or 16 years ago. We know some little thing about it; I am not trying to say that I am an expert.

The Minister of State said that it is moving quickly. I think it is moving at snail's pace. The delivery of broadband in west Cork in places such as Innishannon, which is very close to Cork city, as is Kilmacsimon, Bandon, Bantry, Coomhola, Clonakilty, Timoleague; I could go on naming them forever. People are coming to me from areas where there are maybe 20 or 25 houses who cannot get connected to the fibre-optic cable that is there.

The issue I want to focus on is the wireless operators. The Minister of State said he was very optimistic; I said I am not. He said he was looking at every solution. Has he sat down and spoken to the wireless operators who can immediately provide broadband to the areas that he might be looking to provide broadband to in five years? He should forget about five years. I have been asking for people to get broadband for ten years. It is not happening. We hear four years, five or six years and I feel like it the time is getting longer every time we sit down around the table. These are the same communities that were promised this eight years ago. Let me take Baltimore. DigitalForge, Fasttrack Broadband and similar companies in west Cork were able to provide wireless broadband to places such as Baltimore. When Eir came to town with fibre, no one wanted to leave DigitalForge. They had a private operator and if there was ever a problem, they could pick up the phone and it was resolved straight away. It can offer something between 70 or 100 Mbs or maybe for a business it can offer more on a wireless setting. That can be offered anywhere in rural Ireland but they need to be funded.

Has the Minister of State opened communication with them? From what I can tell, we will be left with 5% of houses in rural Ireland that will not get a fibre connection. Who is going to connect them? The other problem is that the wireless operator is out there working his butt off trying to survive. He is providing the service to the town so that he can give broadband to the rural communities. The wireless operators are coming in and taking the rich pickings in the town. They are pulling all the town customers away from them. My worry is that they will pull the plug and in a year or two, many rural communities that had broadband will no longer have it because the wireless operator has been taken out.

Has the Minister of State put in protections to ensure those rural communities will continue to be connected? Has he sat down with the wireless operators since he came into office? What solutions does he have at present that he can tell us about? I have only two minutes left so I would appreciate it if he could answer those questions.

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