Brendan Ryan (Labour)

My colleagues, Senators Hannigan and Prendergast, in proposing and seconding this motion, set out the issues as we see them and as highlighted by Irish Rural Link. As Senator Hannigan pointed out and as everybody here knows, access to broadband is, unfortunately, dependent on where one lives. Access is now almost universal in urban areas but not in rural areas.

The national broadband strategy, which was announced earlier this year and is welcomed, seeks to provide 100% rural access to broadband by the end of next year. The intention of the strategy is supported by all sides of this House, as is evidenced by the contributions tonight. The purpose of the debate is to obtain a restatement of the Government's commitment to the strategy and to ask the Government to extend the strategy to cater for those homes and businesses not covered by it. The strategy is a first step towards rural access to broadband.

The rural population is dispersed, which makes service provision difficult. However, there are issues with proposed mobile wireless broadband service offered by 3, including limits on speed. It is intended that the scheme be in place by 2010, but to meet this we need 390 telecommunications masts around the country, of which only 230 are in place, so a further 160 will need to go through the planning process. These are potential roadblocks ahead of which we must be wary. Local residents are concerned about mobile phone masts and this provides challenges to the Government. Isolated houses remote from masts will have difficulties which may need to be resolved by way of satellite. It has been proposed that a business broadband voucher scheme be introduced for businesses excluded from the NBS or having higher-spec requirements, and that community initiatives be encouraged. Community groups seeking to develop eco and enterprise works in rural locations must be guaranteed high quality broadband. A portion of available funds should be directed to upgrading broadband in schools.

Broadband access is essential for rural Ireland and helps combat isolation and rural unemployment. Senator Prendergast, in seconding the motion, noted the severe disadvantage for SMEs without broadband, with some going out of business as a result. All broadband infrastructure should be subject to fast-track planning rules and it should be noted that schools and colleges need priority for high bandwidth access.

I note the Minister's statement of the Government's commitment to the strategy, but how soon will that be delivered upon? Will availability of finance be an issue? He noted that new housing and new roads will have ducting in place for ease of access to broadband provision as part of new building standards regulations. He also observed that long-term investment in Eircom's networks is required.

I thank other Senators for their contributions. Senator O'Reilly described the Government's efforts as tardy in several dimensions and compared our performance unfavourably with other regions in Europe. Senator Brady proposed the Government amendment, stating that common sense must apply and noting where we came from in the past. He also asked why the proper infrastructure was not installed by Eircom and lamented that company's performance. Senator O'Toole expressed concern about the slowness of broadband connections and referred to his inability to access broadband services even though he lives only 17 miles from Dublin. He highlighted the opportunities broadband can provide for cottage industries in the west.

Senator Doherty spoke about the digital divide that exists in Ireland. Senator Boyle also contributed. Senator Butler referred to the opportunities for a smart economy and spoke about the gaps in the system. He indicated how the European Union might assist and observed that we may be wise not to move too quickly. Senator Ó Murchú spoke about the distortion of the market, similar to a previous debate on roads. He urged that this remain a priority issue and lamented the lost opportunities for private sector investment. He also referred to the special case for rural areas.

Senator O'Malley, like Senator O'Toole, expressed surprise at the Government amendment. She referred to the gap between the ideal of 100% broadband coverage and the reality that only 70% of homes have computers. She welcomed the schools initiative and noted that broadband provision cannot simply be left to the market. That is an interesting post-Progressive Democrats Party position and I am interested to see how it develops. Senator Alex White observed that insufficient progress has been made on the provision of broadband and asked why the House should divide on this matter. There were several observations in that regard. Senator Ó Domhnaill made the case for the roll-out of the broadband strategy and noted the progress that has been made but observed that Eircom has failed to fulfil its mandate to deliver broadband to all homes. He expressed the hope that townlands in Donegal will be serviced soon.

Senator Walsh noted the importance of the issue and the potential of technology and welcomed the roll-out to schools. He also referred to the failure of the market, particularly Eircom, to deliver to certain areas. Senator Ormonde spoke about the role of telecommunications in revitalising rural communities and the need to keep the issue on the agenda. Senator Mullen supported the motion, emphasised the need for rural broadband services and spoke about the digital divide. It was interesting that he succeeded in including in his contribution a reference to embryo research.

Even in parts of my constituency, such as Skerries, and my home in Portrane, which is only 20 minutes from the city centre, residents cannot avail of Eircom's broadband service because the physical telephone lines are so poor. This is not just a problem in rural areas. The sooner Eircom is taken over by a company that understands the industry and looks on this as a long-term investment the better. There is a strong case for nationalisation but the timing may be wrong. I thank the Minister for responding to the motion. I commend the motion to the House.