Martin Brady (Fianna Fail)

I move:

That Seanad Éireann welcomes the various Government interventions in broadband which have led to improved choice, quality and prices of services and the national broadband scheme which will make broadband available in those parts of the country not currently served.

I welcome the Minister to the House. I welcome the Bill regarding the investment in broadband services. Foreign investors coming to Ireland have two requirements, one of which is a good telecommunications system and the other being transport. The overall goal for the Government is to ensure that its communications policy continues to drive the Irish economy and break the digital divide. A key strategy in achieving that goal is to ensure the widespread availability of affordable broadband for business and citizens.

The current position is that broadband is not widely available here. We had a meeting last week with Eircom representatives who admitted it is not financially viable to provide broadband in some rural areas of the country. I spoke to a person involved in the telecommunications business before coming into the Chamber who told me that last week, a businessperson from Cavan was in contact with him and he was told in no uncertain terms that Eircom could not provide him with a broadband service. Eircom is inhibited by the regulator from investing what it believes is necessary in the infrastructure to make it attractive to customers. That is a problem that must be examined. That happens in the United Kingdom as well, not just in Ireland.

The current Eircom network providing broadband is not sufficient for businesses because it is low speed. The problem that arises is that if Eircom collapsed tomorrow there is no plan B. If Eircom collapsed, the other telecommunications providers would not be able to provide the service required.

Government support will be needed to secure the long-term viability of the network, not only in cities but also in rural areas. We must make broadband available to customers wherever they want it, at a cost that is affordable and within a specified period. Not too far from here in Malahide and such places, broadband is non-existent. A businessman to whom I spoke last week had to let two of his staff go because Eircom was unable to provide him with a broadband service. In the case of another person who has broadband, Eircom was unable to repair it. The infrastructure is run down.

Finance must be pumped into the provision of broadband if we want to broaden the provision and provide the service the customers require. If we do not do that, jobs will be at stake. I am aware of a case where two people were let go. Another person cannot relocate because proper telecommunications service cannot be provided. I support what the Minister is doing but I would like to him to examine the points I have raised.