Dominic Hannigan (Labour)

I move:

That Seanad Éireann:

- recognising the importance of rural Ireland to the social fabric of the nation;

- recognising the level of isolation felt by many residents in rural Ireland;

- recognising the benefits in social communication brought about by Broadband access; and

- recognising the importance of broadband availability for the setting up and running of rural based businesses,

calls on the Government to:

- restate and confirm its commitment to providing a comprehensive National Broadband Scheme to all of rural Ireland by September 2010; and

- agree to implement the proposals of Irish Rural Link to ensure that the 12,000 rural homes and businesses not covered by the National Broadband Scheme will have access to broadband.

I welcome the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Deputy Eamon Ryan, to the House. In the short time he has been in office, the Minister has brought considerable energy to his role, which has been greatly appreciated by Senators on all sides.

The advent of the Internet has been one of the most significant changes to have impacted on our lives in the past 20 years. Internet access is now an integral part of modern life. It simplifies activities which were once time consuming or difficult, including paying bills, purchasing clothes and food, winning new business and staying in contact with friends, family, employees or other businesses. Unfortunately, access to this essential service is still dependent on where one lives. While access is largely universal in urban areas, this is not yet the case in rural areas. As with postal and telephone services, a universal service obligation should be in place to ensure every homeowner in Ireland has access to quality broadband.

Earlier this year, the Minister announced the national broadband strategy which all of us welcomed. In summary, the strategy seeks to provide 100% coverage in rural areas to enable those living in such areas to have access to broadband by the end of 2010. While the objective of the strategy is supported by all sides, certain issues arise with regard to delivering on this aspiration. The purpose of this debate is to obtain a restatement of the Government's commitment to reach the 2010 target and explore how we could extend the strategy to ensure that all homes in rural areas are served.

The national broadband scheme needs to go further than at present. Proposals such as those tabled by Irish Rural Link can help to make practical improvements for rural areas and improve rural life in several key areas, for instance, in retaining and generating rural employment, assisting with communication and combating the isolation experienced by many rural dwellers.

The need to extend rural broadband services is obvious to me from the work I have been doing in the north east. In the past six months, I have carried out a detailed survey about life for families living in rural parts of County Meath. I intend to launch the results of the survey in the next few weeks but in advance of doing so I can refer to some of the clear messages emerging from it. The research is based on responses from 700 families living in rural parts of County Meath, from rural cottages along the border with Ulster through to dormer bungalows at the edges of the greater Dublin conurbation.

Some very interesting facts have emerged about rural life in County Meath and, by extension, life for people living in other rural areas. Almost one quarter of respondents work in or from the home in non-farming jobs. The individuals in question are computer literate and would benefit greatly from faster Internet access. In addition, 8% of the rural population of County Meath comes from outside the State. While this figure is lower than the figure of 10% obtaining in urban areas, it is still a high proportion of the population. Many of these individuals consider fast Internet access essential to allow them to maintain contact with their loved ones in their home countries. This can be done through services such as MSN Messenger or Google Talk or through facilities such as Skype, which allows people to have video calls on-line with friends and family.

Communications tools such as these can be used both by new arrivals and long-term residents who want to keep in touch with family and friends who have moved overseas. This would be of major benefit to rural communities. One of the findings of my survey is that social isolation is a major issue in rural areas. More than one third of respondents - 35% - see their neighbours just once per month and, in some cases, the frequency of social contact is even lower. The ability to avail of state-of-the-art communications services has the potential to help many people combat the isolation they feel in their daily lives.

I do not accept that people of a certain age or background would not use the Internet to access services. The near universal use of mobile telephones and texting shows that good technology will be adopted by one and all. This applies also to the Skype service. My father, who is aged in his 80s, uses Skype to communicate with his grandchildren and writes on the walls of his Facebook page. My point is that lack of access rather than age prevents people from using the Internet.

While the national broadband strategy goes some way towards ensuring that rural dwellers have access to broadband, it must be viewed as a first step. Ireland's rural population is dispersed, hence providing a service to it is difficult, but some issues presented by the proposed mobile wireless broadband service will be offered by the chosen service provider 3. First, there are technological limitations. For instance, the speed will probably be limited to less than 2 mbs/sec. That is hardly reassuring for someone wanting to take on a company based in Japan where speeds of up to 100 mbs/sec are now becoming standard.

According to ComReg, mobile broadband is only suitable for people who are not heavy users and do not require a high-end broadband service. In addition, mobile broadband may be unable to support some of the tasks that many people require, such as VOIP and games. Skype will be difficult to use unless people sign up for 3's service and they will have to pay an additional premium to do so.

There are also issues concerning timescales. This strategy is meant to be in place by 2010, but in order to meet these deadlines we will need to erect 390 telecommunications masts around the country. Currently, however, only 230 such masts are in place, so a further 160 will need to work their way through the planning process. As any politician knows, many people are concerned about these masts so it will be difficult to get the planning permission through in time. Does the Minister really expect the planning process for these new masts to be straightforward? I am worried that this will not be the case. We need to know if the Minister has a plan B. Is his commitment to deliver 100% access absolute or just an aspiration?

I note that up to 12,000 homes and businesses will not be served by the national broadband strategy. I welcome the announced revision and amendments to the proposed rural development programme in that it specifically states how those 12,000 businesses will be provided with broadband. These businesses fall outside the national broadband service area. In essence, the Department is going to incentivise the provision of satellite broadband services to these homes and businesses. It will probably be done by way of a grant to cover the installation costs up to a maximum figure, but can the Minister tell us what the maximum will be? The cost of installing a dish can be as high as €800 per dwelling so the cost of covering those 12,000 units would entail an investment by the Department of almost €10 million. Will that money be forthcoming?

I also query the issue of access to the satellite system. One of the suppliers, Avanti, is having trouble in providing sufficient capacity for the potential number of users. Does the Minister consider that there will be sufficient satellite capacity to deliver the broadband service likely to be requested by thousands of additional users before the end of 2010?

As regards the availability of funds, up to €250 million has been put towards this programme, both from the EU and the Government. Will additional funds be available to provide broadband to the aforementioned 12,000 homes and businesses? Will additional funds be available for alternatives if it is clear that we cannot reach 100% coverage by the chosen strategy?

Broadband access is essential for the maintenance of a proper quality of life in rural areas. It can help to combat isolation and promote communication. In addition, it can help to maintain and increase rural employment. The national broadband strategy goes a long way towards meeting the needs of rural Ireland, but we need a reinstatement of the Minister's personal commitment to ensure that 100% coverage will be delivered by the end of next year.