Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for his remarks in respect of this issue. Broadband is one of the key pieces of infrastructure, particularly for all of rural Ireland and indeed for a lot of urban Ireland as well. We always come across people who tell us this is not just a rural problem. There are many areas of the country, even in towns and larger towns, that have difficulties getting stable broadband connection.

The reality is that the pandemic has brought challenges for all of us. I respect and understand the effect it has had on getting work done, delivery times and all of that. However, most of us would also accept that there were delays to the roll-out anyway, even without Covid-19. There were serious issues and problems there anyway. The national broadband roll-out has been slow and difficult. It has not been delivered to the standard the vast majority of the public expected up to now. That is something we need to acknowledge. We need to do something about it to ensure people get the broadband delivery they require.

If one has adequate broadband, particularly fibre broadband, one is in the centre of the commercial world no matter where one is. That is the difference it makes for an awful lot of people, particularly those who have become accustomed to the concept of working from home or a hybrid model of work. Adequate broadband is essential for that. I live in a rural area in the rural constituency of Sligo-Leitrim. I could mention multiple areas where there are issues. The previous question-and-answer session included Deputies referring to their little towns and areas and the problems they have had. There are many small issues in small areas. Consider a company that employs eight people in a town where the broadband comes to a certain point, 200 m away from where the company is based, and it cannot find anyone to bring it that extra couple of hundred yards up the road. The owners of that company would feel frustrated, annoyed and betrayed by a system that cannot do that for them. When that is multiplied by the hundreds of people around the country who have had similar experiences, it creates a problem for the Government. The impression people have is that the Government is letting them down and not delivering for them. That needs to be acknowledged.

I also took note of what Deputy Michael Collins said about the many providers, including satellite providers and providers putting up a mast on a hill and delivering a service. Without those providers, an awful lot of rural areas would be completely lost. One of the fears of many rural communities is that as fibre broadband is rolled out to the more populated areas, those companies that were providing services to both more populated and less populated areas will simply withdraw the service and the less populated areas will be left without any service at all. That needs to be examined closely. I heard the comments the Minister of State made earlier to the effect that he will engage with those providers. That engagement needs to happen as quickly as possible to ensure we now have full delivery of broadband to every house we can possibly reach in the country. In areas that have access now, we must ensure they maintain it.

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