Fine Gael TD for Limerick, Patrick O’Donovan, has said that new legislation introduced by the Government will have a major impact on the delivery of high speed broadband in rural areas.
The new bill which allows the ESB network to be used for the delivery of high-speed broadband through a fibre optic network has been introduced to the Dáil by Communications Minister Pat Rabbitte.
Speaking during the debate in the Dáil, Patrick O’Donovan said that the roll out of a good modern broadband network was as important as the delivery of electricity to communities across Ireland through the Rural Electrification Scheme. He told the Dáil that access to fast, reliable broadband is essential for people across the country at the moment and said that isolated rural locations are at a competitive disadvantage to urban communities when it comes to the delivery of the service.
Deputy O’Donovan said that he believed that the sale of the national telecommunications infrastructure during the privatisation of Eircom was, in his opinion, a major reason as to why so many rural communities had poor broadband availability. He added that the fact that the ESB has a presence in every corner of the country was hugely important and emphasised even more the need for the State to maintain the electricity network in public hands.
In his contribution to the debate Patrick O’Donovan gave examples of the benefits he believed exist for people in Co. Limerick of having a decent broadband connection. He cited examples in education, business, community activities and personal safety for people living alone as reasons why it was needed so badly in Limerick.
He concluded his remarks by saying that he believed that the bill would be a critical part in the economic recovery of the State and he looked forward to its implementation.
