Tony Mulcahy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I echo the sentiments expressed by Senator Daly on mobile telephone coverage. One does not have to go to south-west Kerry to encounter the problem. The worst area for coverage is between Roscrea and Nenagh. Anybody who travels the route regularly will have discovered that there is no coverage in the region. Mobile tekephone coverage is another issue that we need to do something about.

Outstanding work was done by ESB crews since the first storm hit the country at Christmas. We know that there was a threat to power supplies before Christmas but mother nature did not have a hand in it because, thankfully, the danger was averted. Since Christmas various storms have wreaked havoc on power supplies all over the country. ESB crews have been out 24 hours a day in all weathers trying to restore power where it was lost and for that service the House is most grateful. Thank God no pylons were blown over so we might be able to deal with the issue of pylons. The crisis might set off some other story and we may need to strengthen the current network of pylons.

I welcome the Bill because it will give a legal basis and will enable the ESB to engage in the electronic communications networks and electronic communications services. The Minister has described the various sections. As has been highlighted, the Bill may be cited under the Electricity (Supply) Acts 1927 to 2004 as part of the ESB Acts 1927 to 2013.

A feature of modern life and business in Ireland in the 21st century is the need to enable us to communicate quickly and cheaply with each other and with those we do business with daily. The days of having to organise the operator to arrange a telephone call in advance in order to speak to someone either in the USA or further afield are a distant memory. Nowadays we can use a mobile telephone to contact anybody located anywhere in the world that has a network connection.

We may be writing a lot fewer letters now but we are communicating a lot more than we did ten years ago. We have various applications on our mobile devices these days such as Viber, WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook and Twitter. We can even Skype relatives and friends at home and abroad. However, there are communications issues that we need to address. One of the biggest issues for consumers outside of large urban areas is a fast reliable broadband service. Some people who live in large urban areas take for granted the broadband services that they currently enjoy. Broadband speeds have improved but they need to improve further if the country is to attract major foreign direct investment. Also, our own domestic job creators need to have faster speeds if they are to compete on an equal footing with overseas competitors.

In rural areas people can only dream of fast broadband and in many areas the inhabitants can only dream of getting broadband. While Senators catch up on the latest instalment of the "House of Cards" on Netflix, please spare a thought for people who live in rural areas who may, if they are fortunate to have an Internet connection, get broadband speeds of 2 Mbps but only at certain times of the day. Due to the way the population is spread it does not make commercial sense for various communications providers to roll out a network that would connect to every property in the country. It would be far more efficient if they could hobby horse on the back of a wholesale partner that currently has such a network. The ESB can be and is that partner. The company has built up a large network of lines and infrastructure all over the country. It also has the expertise and the proven track record that has been internationally recognised.

Over 30 years ago the then semi-State company, Telecom Éireann, had a very good international reputation for its communications network. Years of neglect since privatisation and asset stripping has led to a build up of debt by various owners. It is only in recent years that Eircom has started to reverse the situation and has invested heavily in broadband. Such a development is welcome as investment by telecom companies will strengthen our economy.

Every week millions of euro are spent online on overseas e-commerce sites. That money could be spent here if Irish entrepreneurs had access to a super-fast broadband service. They could build profitable e-commerce sites that could operate whether they were located on top of a mountain or in the middle of a city. Jobs can be created in businesses that do not yet exist but we must first create the right conditions for this to happen. By opening up the ESB network to suitable partners from the commercial sector we can create suitable conditions. The more players in the market the better for the end consumer. Such an initiative would also contribute to the Government's national broadband plan, which promotes the use of State assets for the provision of high speed broadband in areas not currently served.

The recent announcement that the four mobile service providers will commit €855 million to secure radio spectrum capable of delivering 4G is a very welcome development. There were 2.7 million smartphones and tablets in use up to September 2013. They need a secure and robust network to enable access to content on the Internet or data storage by the provider. By enabling the ESB to sell space on its network we can speed up access and penetration.

I welcome the provisions in the Bill for wayleaveson private land to be provided to such bodies as the ESB as it enters into commercial arrangements. Compensation will be provided to landowners where deemed appropriate. All works will come under the remit of the CER, thus ensuring that it will be regulated.

In summing up, this major issue has been talked about for a number of years and we have an existing infrastructure. The big difference between this Government and all of the governments that went before it is that we are using the infrastructure now and have made a decision to make progress. The difference is that decisions have been made and actions have been taken.

With regard to the ESB, I believe that there is no house in the country that does not have electric light. I should ask Senator Mark Daly but I think the last place to be connected was the Black Valley in County Kerry. The ESB has a network so it makes perfect sense for us to use it.