Feargal Quinn (Independent)

I welcome the Minister's speech because I was not happy with the wording of the Government's motion that Seanad Éireann welcomed the Government's intervention in broadband provision. It was far too complacent while the Minister was much more open and explained his plans and hopes for achievement in the area. It was far more honest.

On 12 December 2007, Senator Ross also put down a motion on broadband access. During that debate I pointed out one of the four principle issues in the last Australian general election was broadband roll-out to every house in the country. The Australian Government of the day lost the election because of its failure to roll out high speed broadband.

I accept many other factors will determine how people vote on this Government, but the broadband issue is very important. I live less than 15 km from Dublin city centre and yet I cannot get broadband in my home. I was pleased the Minister said there would a subsidised-supported basis for those households which cannot get broadband. I am probably one of those but I am frustrated that I have to do so.

I am still concerned at Eircom's reluctance to invest in next-generation broadband, which hits people in sparsely populated rural areas hardest. Eircom stated that the economic downturn forced it to review its investment in next generation broadband, which will be a major disappointment for many of its customers. Eircom is carrying a huge debt burden, in the order of €3.7 billion, and is losing market share. Its Australian parent company is in even worse shape and is struggling to survive. This means Eircom is not well placed to deliver what the country needs, namely, a high-speed broadband service.

People in rural areas will be obliged to depend on wireless technology for their broadband needs. This is not ideal because the connection speeds will be relatively slow and will be dependent on the number of users accessing the service at any one time. For personal users, low-speed broadband may be adequate. However, for most businesses, first generation broadband will not suffice. Unless rapid progress is made in respect of high-speed broadband provision, rural dwellers will fall further behind their counterparts throughout Europe. In Sweden, for example, 80% of farms already have access to the Internet and one third of those who live on these farms use the Internet daily. Ireland's rural internet service is closer to that provided in regions such as Tuscany in Italy and countries such as Hungary, where only one quarter of farmers use the Internet.

Last year the Government rejected Eircom's request for a State investment of €150 million to support its €500 million plan to provide a faster broadband service to 70% of the population. If the figures I have provided are not correct, perhaps the Minister will correct them.

We will eventually reach a situation where it will be much more attractive for businesses to locate in Northern Ireland if high quality broadband services are not available here. One need only consider the recent advances made in the North in this regard. Almost 30,000 customers in the Balmoral area of Belfast are to be given access to super-fast broadband on the BT network early next year. This is part of the largest ever investment in super-fast broadband in the UK in a project worth some £1.5 billion. The speeds available by means of this model are more than ten times as fast as those obtainable by most households in this country. Why are we not taking a similar approach and investing properly for the future? I am confident that the Minister, who spoke about the future, intends to do the right thing. We must exert pressure to ensure that he does so.

Access to high-speed broadband is a key requirement for modern business and is also a critical factor for national economic recovery. The Government will be obliged to reassess matters if, as seems increasingly likely, Eircom is unable to deliver on its commitments in respect of future investment.

I welcome the Minister's comments and his commitment. However, I am concerned that people do not fully recognise the importance of broadband services. I urge the Minister not to be complacent. I am of the view that the motion before the House displays a degree of complacency which really must be avoided.