Broadband rollout ‘as vital as electrification’

Ireland’s national broadband plan is as vital to the country “as electricity in the 1940s and the telephone in the 1970s” and needs to be finalised urgently, it has been claimed.

Cork Fianna Fáil TD Michael Moynihan said the lack of progress on the NBP was made all the more stark after BT unveiled plans to invest £670m (€747m) in rural communities in Britain with the aim of 99% coverage by 2020, in conjunction with the government.

Business lobby group Isme echoed Mr Moynihan’s calls, saying it was a source of “constant frustration” to its members in rural areas, especially with Brexit looming.

In contrast to the British plan, Ireland’s long-mooted broadband plan has been beset by delays and a contract has still not been awarded to one of the three bidders.

The plan is government policy which aims to deliver high-speed broadband to every citizen and business in Ireland. It aims to achieve 100% coverage in three to five years of the start of large-scale rollout.

The Government has said it will achieve its targets through private commercial investment, with the State’s intervention making up the shortfall. Three bidders — Eir, Siro, and Enet — entered the tendering process to be granted the contract to roll out the programme. A decision is expected this year.

The previous government allocated €275m for the first phase of the project in 2015 .

Mr Moynihan said that rolling out broadband is as crucial as electricity and the telephone in a modern world.

“We were told back in 2014 that it was happening by one minister, then in 2015 by another, and by yet another in this Government.

“The excuses and lack of information is just tedious now. We absolutely have to move the process on,” he said.

“Broadband is as vital as electricity in the 1940s and the telephone in the 1970s, especially in a rapidly evolving modern digital world. There is an astounding need, whether you are in Dublin or in Ballydehob in West Cork.

“How can you plan new towns if broadband is not addressed? Such plans are hypothetical at best and without foundation at worst currently.”

Isme chief executive Neil McDonnell said broadband rollout was part of its pre-Budget submission because it was a source of constant angst for its members, especially with new online requirements coming down the line in the PAYE system.

“It is always one reason or another that delays are happening, whether they be legal or public procurement or whatever. Yet the specifics are never addressed and it is highly frustrating. We are not naive, we know there are complexities. But at least if we knew what they were, it would be progress. Businesses need to be ready post-Brexit, particularly those who will be relying on online transactions,” he said.

Engineers Ireland president Kieran Feighan reiterated his call for the NBP to be implemented. “The installation of Ireland’s nationwide broadband infrastructure is akin to the electrification of rural Ireland in the last century in terms of scale, ambition, and the socioeconomic benefits it will deliver,” he said.

“The NBP is a critical part of Ireland’s digital strategy in this respect. Its delivery as soon as possible is crucial in terms of supporting rural connectivity, all-Ireland enterprise and innovation, and would deliver around 2,600 new direct and indirect jobs.”