Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 31 January 2013
116. Deputy Michael Colreavy asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to redress the regional differences in broadband access; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4878/13]
View answerBroadband connectivity, as an enabling infrastructure for economic and social development, is a critical element of future sustainable economic growth throughout the regions and is a priority for Government. Ireland’s telecommunications market has been liberalised since 1999 and since then has developed into a well-regulated market, supporting a multiplicity of commercial operators, providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. The combination of private investment and State interventions such as the National and the Rural Broadband Schemes undertaken to date has resulted in Ireland meeting the EU Commission’s Digital Agenda for Europe target of having a basic broadband service available to all areas by 2013.
Notwithstanding the positive developments, there remains an unacceptable digital divide between rural and urban areas. A key commitment in the National Broadband Plan, which I published on 30 August last year, is to decisively tackle this divide. The Plan commits to high speed broadband availability across the country by ensuring that high speed services of at least 30Mbps are available to all of our citizens and businesses, well in advance of the EU’s target date of 2020. Ireland is now therefore moving to a new phase of public and private sector investment in broadband which will see significantly improved speeds delivered across all regions.
The commercial sector is already investing in high speed services, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas. The Government is committed in the Plan to investing in areas where high speed services are not commercially viable and will not be provided by the market. Undoubtedly, because of Ireland’s low population density, particularly in rural areas, and the capabilities of different technologies, it will not always be possible for all parts of the country to experience the same speeds. The key, however, is to ensure that citizens and businesses, wherever they are located, have a broadband connection which meets their needs to interact effectively with society and business. The Government’s commitment of 30Mbps availability to all will deliver this.
