Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)

I thank Senator Ross. I will respond to Senators for two or three minutes.

The key point in the Government amendment is that the position in regard to broadband continues to improve. It is difficult to believe someone would question that statement given the statistics available to us. While I am aware that figures can be used in different ways, the bald statistics show that at the start of 2005, 3% of households had broadband. At the start of 2006, the figure had increased to roughly 7% and, depending on the measure used, 15.5% of households had broadband access by mid-2007. If one includes, mobile access, the figure is closer to 17%. In recognising this improvement we must not rest on our laurels because further progress is necessary.

I commend the authors of the motion on instigating this debate on crucial infrastructure for the social and economic development of the country. The question for debate is how we will hasten ongoing improvement in broadband. This is a complex area on which one cannot make snap or easy judgments. It is a fast-changing sector in which a range of different technologies can be applied, including 3G, wireless and fixed line, the last of which includes a variety of methods for delivering service to customers. One of the reasons Ireland lags behind other countries is the absence of competition in the market. Following the sale of the State telephone company, the privatised company, for a variety of reasons, did not invest in its network and the development of broadband. At the same time, the cable network was experiencing difficult times and little investment was made in the network. Our poor performance was due to this lack of competition.

One of the reasons for recent improvements is that we are entering a more competitive phase, which I welcome. I will encourage, support and develop this process, not only with regard to the cable company and incumbent telephone company — this would only create competition in urban areas where two thirds of the population live — but also with regard to wireless, 3G, satellite and other technologies to ensure the dispersed, less accessible rural population secures access to broadband services. It is not easy to run a fibre to every single farmhouse in the country. It is easier to do that in Japan as people live in apartments and one can run a fibre right up through a 20 storey building at much reduced costs. We have different circumstances but we have the potential to deliver different solutions that provide higher speed.

The issue is about percentage cover to the country but we have to move on from that. Through the use of the national broadband scheme we cannot have a situation where any house in the country is left behind. We must have ubiquitous all-round broadband approval. I hope that is one of key improvements on which we are able to deliver in 2008. We move then to the issue of bandwidth and the issue of price. We must ensure we have a much higher bandwidth and lower costs. The current position where many of us are paying a mobile phone bill, a fixed line rental bill and a broadband bill is intolerable. We should ensure, through encouraging competition between those different operators, all of whom are very profitable and have large capital resources, they battle to get our services and in those circumstances bring the price down and the bandwidth up. That is the key development. I will not rule out any suggestion any wise Senator may have as to how we encourage that, be that State investment or by means of regulation. We should recognise we are improving but we need to go much further.

I commend the Government's amendment in that regard recognising the reality locally and recognising our aspirations.