Trevor Ó Clochartaigh (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Cuirim fáilte roimh an Aire. Ach an oiread leis an dream eile, fáiltímid roimh an mBille seo. Is maith an céim chun tosaigh aon rud a chuireann cúrsaí leathanbhanda ar fud na tíre chun cinn. Is cóir aitheantas a thabhairt dó sin agus tá sé sin á dhéanamh againn inniu.

As has been stated by previous contributors, the value of the ESB teams was seen in recent weeks. It was ironic that, before Christmas, when there was a danger of a strike being called by ESB workers who were standing up for their rights in regard to pension schemes, people were very critical of them. However, we did not hear much criticism of them since Christmas. Fair play to them for the great work they have done in recent weeks, as they always do.

Ba mhaith liom ceist bheag bídeach amháin a chur sula dtosóidh mé isteach sa phríomhrud. Bhí mé ag éisteacht le Seán Ó hArgáin ag labhairt ag comhdháil an Lucht Oibre ag an deireadh seachtaine. Dúirt sé gurb é Páirtí an Lucht Oibre an páirtí is láidre ó thaobh na Gaeilge a chur chun cinn. Dúirt an tAire ina réamhrá níos luaithe go bhfuil sé i gceist "Ervia" a úsáid mar ainm nua ar Bord Gáis Éireann. Céard a chiallaíonn "Ervia"? Cén fáth arís eile a bhfuil an Stát agus an Rialtas ag cur ainm nua Béarla - nó rud éigin mar sin - ar eagraíocht Stáit in áit ainm breá Gaelach? Is trua é nuair a bhí deis ag an Rialtas ainm breá Gaelach a chur ar an gcomhlacht arís.

I welcome the Bill. It is important legislation that deals with the networking of fibreoptic cables that will, hopefully, develop an area of infrastructure where Ireland has been severely lagging behind. There are many areas in Ireland, most of them rural, which still do not receive an adequate broadband connection. The lack of broadband or poor service levels is becoming a constraint in accessing services. I know, particularly from my own experience in Connemara, that a number of years ago Údarás na Gaeltachta was in a position to put investment into exchanges to increase the broadband capacity that Eircom was able to carry, but, due to some competition laws, it had to stop doing that. Since then, we have been lagging behind in the provision of broadband in certain areas.

There is a nest of companies in the Indreabhán area in Connemara, where there are particular issues around broadband, and many of them are finding it difficult to survive because of the capacity that is available to them. Therefore, I share many of the concerns and I agree that many of the questions raised by Senator Quinn are very valid, in particular whether this new model will be able to deliver that last mile of broadband. At present, the capacity running down the line from an Eircom exchange to a house in a rural area is not able to carry broadband for the last mile, which, ironically, is the situation in my own house, where Eircom cannot provide me with a service.

It is important to note that we have seen huge strides forward being made in the North, which seems to be way ahead in the provision of broadband. The Minister might comment on that. It is possibly because there is a different style of delivery and more investment. While the Minister is carrying forward from a legacy of lack of investment in the infrastructure, the North seems to be much further ahead in terms of quality of broadband.

On the ground service delivery in many rural areas is contracting and many services are being further curtailed in the current economic environment, for example, through the closure of banks, post offices and rural Garda stations. There is now near universal acceptance that online access is the norm for some services and quality broadband is an imperative. Proper broadband access is essential for developing a healthy and vibrant economy. The Government must be to the forefront of pushing this agenda if it is serious about Ireland's economy recovering to its full potential. International research shows that the Internet contributes up to 6% of the GDP in advanced economies and most of the economic value created occurs outside of the information technology sector, with 75% of the benefits captured by companies in more traditional industries. The research also found that the Internet created 2.6 jobs for every one lost arising from technology related efficiencies.

I am glad to learn that the ESB is potentially going to deliver a so-called fibre to the building network. I have one question in this regard. We have been contacted by a number of landowners who are concerned there may be a piggy-backing effect by other companies on the network in question, for example, other media providers, and that there would be no compensation for the people who own the land. The Minister might refer to this in his reply. If there are very profitable, high worth companies that are making a lot of money in providing services in the telecommunications area, and which piggy-back on the ESB network under this new arrangement, will landowners receive some form of recompense for the fact the cables are going through their land?

This so-called fibre to the building network would, hopefully, provide for the highest speeds to be brought to a home, which shows there is forward thinking in the development of the fibre network. Fibre is one of the optimum technologies as it is regarded as the most future-proofed and is, therefore, likely to yield better value for State investment. At a wider economy level, the OECD has examined the benefits arising to other economic sectors of a national fibre to the building network. The analysis examines the cost of deploying fibre to the building across different OECD countries, including Ireland, and has estimated that the combined saving in each of the four sectors over a ten year period could justify the cost of building a national fibre to the building network.

Investment which is designed to deliver next generation broadband should be based on technologies which are future-proofed over the longer term and not just aimed at meeting immediate targets for 2015 and 2020. While the immediate target is to ensure what is outlined in the national broadband plan is reached, the infrastructure that should be put in place should be designed to have benefits far beyond this. Proper investment will not just deliver targets in the short term, it will also benefit the State in the medium and long term.

Ireland performs badly in regard to broadband connection when compared internationally. We currently have one of the lowest access levels in the European Union to broadband, which hardly makes us the best small country in which to do business. This cannot be solely blamed on our size or our population density. Ireland has a relatively low proportion of people living in urban areas compared with the OECD average. The western region has suffered significantly in terms of broadband access, which has put us at a distinct disadvantage compared with more populated areas of the country. The western region is a predominately rural region, with 64.9% of its population living outside of towns with a population of 1,500 or more, compared with 38% nationally. In the western region, 16.4% of the urban population lives in small towns, while nationally only 6% of the urban population lives in such towns. It is clear, therefore, that any strategy rolled out must recognise the distinct population structures in the west, and the Government must adopt a policy that recognises this fact.