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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 5 Jul 2017

Vol. 957 No. 1

Planning and Development (Rapid Broadband) Bill 2017: First Stage

I move:

That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to provide for the rapid installation of broadband infrastructure; to improve availability of broadband and telecoms services nationally; to provide for the sharing of broadband and telecoms services infrastructure by state agencies (including Transport Infrastructure Ireland) to telecoms and broadband providers; to provide for planning permission to include requirement for ducting to be laid within curtilage of home in new applications; to create a central public register of telecoms infrastructure including ownership; to provide for future cost-effective installation of infrastructure to accommodate future national broadband and telecom connectivity requirements and to provide for related matters.

Broadband is a basic human requirement for every household, workplace, school, community centre and premises in the country. It can be seen in the same way the electricity grid was once rolled out and transformed the lives of people throughout the country. It can be seen in the same way that heating, lighting, telephones and basic utilities and services have been rolled out over decades to improve the lives of people throughout the country. Broadband sits in the same category today. There should be a universal service obligation, as there is in the case of telephone connections, power connections and the postal service, etc. It is fundamental to modern life that these services be provided in a high-quality fashion. Many struggle to remain connected to participate in education, work, trade and networks to connect with friends and family owing to the lack of basic connectivity. We see extreme measures throughout the world. In the Third World large unmanned aircraft are beaming down broadband to depopulated sparse rural areas. I hope such extreme means will not be necessary in Ireland, but we had better hurry up with the national broadband plan if we are to avoid them.

We have the national broadband plan and tender which we know aspires to deliver broadband to every home in the country. However, the delays have been substantial. We were promised 90% coverage in 2015. We were then promised coverage in 2019. Notwithstanding the Taoiseach's comments today, we have seen reports in the newspapers in recent days to the effect that the date will be 2023 or 2024. It is undeniable that the goalposts keep shifting. Fundamentally, it is taking too long. We have seen multiple task forces and deadlines, but the strategy has yet to be implemented. In the meantime, many areas are suffering from a lack of basic broadband services that could be provided commercially. If some of the impediments or obstacles were removed, the infrastructure could be transformed by filling some of the gaps immediately and tackling the regulatory landscape and the planning framework which do not currently lend themselves to a more rapid roll-out.

One year ago I spoke in the House to a motion on rural broadband. It was one of my first debates. I made numerous points about multiple items, including quick wins to accelerate and enable the more rapid roll-out of broadband. There are still those quick wins or options today and they have not yet been tackled. I am proposing a series of common-sense, immediately doable enabling measures to accelerate the roll-out and remove many of the impediments right away.

I come to this with first-hand experience having served on a local authority and seen many of the planning framework and other anomalies. I have worked with multiple providers and community groups, throughout rural Kildare in particular, in an attempt to accelerate the roll-out and connect them to better broadband services. I have seen the difficulties faced by communities in trying to access these services and those faced by providers in trying to connect them.

It should be noted that the primary target of these measures is broadband. The same infrastructural acceleration would apply to mobile phone and telephony services. Some of the measures in this Bill include the provision of ducting in every new road project across the country, be it a motorway, a back road, a regional road or any other road. Roads should be future-proofed by way of the inclusion of ducting from the get-go to avoid the phenomenon of double-digging, with which all of us as public representatives are familiar. The ducting should be put in once and properly and it should be made available to all providers, be they State, commercial or other providers, at fair and reasonable market cost. One of the complaints of a previous focus group is that the cost of leasing ducting in a motorway or on a railway line is so prohibitively expensive it is often cheaper for an operator to dig up the road and lay new ducting rather than use the ducting in place. This makes no sense.

In regard to site-sharing, the Bill provides that where a mast or a piece of infrastructure is being provided, rather than putting in a second or third mirror copy for different operators, that infrastructure should be shared. It should be a mandatory requirement that the infrastructure be made available to any other provider in the area. This would reduce the infrastructure footprint and fast-track roll-out. This makes sense. There is a fair and reasonable market condition built into that also.

In terms of planning for new homes and premises, the Bill provides that they should be broadband ready and that ducting should be provided to the curtilage of the building. This is not currently the case. For example, in new builds public roads do not include it to the door of the house. Furthermore, there is a requirement for a central register. ComReg would compile a register of all broadband infrastructure in the State with the assistance of public bodies and commercial operators and this could then be accessed by all stakeholders.

I believe these measures individually and collectively address many of the obstacles around planning and technicalities to accelerate the roll-out of services. I hope all parties will come on board with it as it passes through the Houses. I am happy to accept any amendments that would help to improve the Bill and I commend it to the House.

Is the Bill opposed?

Question put and agreed to.

Since this is a Private Members' Bill, Second Stage must, under Standing Orders, be taken in Private Members' time.

I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

Question put and agreed to.
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