LABOUR TD KENNY WELCOMES LAUNCH OF REPORT BY NEXT GENERATION BROADBAND TASKFORCE

Posted on May 2, 2012 2:37 PM   |   Permanent Link   

Dublin North East Labour TD Seán Kenny today welcomed the report into Next Generation Broadband, which was launched today.

"Companies are telling the Government that more than 50% of the population will have access to very fast broadband by 2015. We can also expect that most of the rest of Irish homes will be able to access broadband which, by today's standards would be considered very good quality. However, we face a major challenge because 15-30% of the population will continue to have basic broadband service only because the case for commercial investment in rural areas is very challenging."

"There are three challenges with broadband in Ireland. Firstly, we have to make it easier for the private sector to invest in rolling out updated broadband technology, we have to encourage citizens and businesses to go online and finally, we have to address issues where telecom infrastructure is out of date. We have to do all of these things in order to boost Ireland's competitiveness."

"The NGB Taskforce (comprising CEO's of the leading Telecoms providers in Ireland), has been working with Minister Rabbitte and his Department since June 2011 to pool information and share views about the steps required to accelerate high speed broadband roll out across Ireland. The report launched today highlights areas where Government and industry can work together."

"A four week consultation period with users and other stakeholders will run throughout the month of May. There after Minister Rabbitte will publish a National Broadband Plan for Ireland setting out the actions that Government will take to ensure the delivery of high quality broadband to all parts of Ireland.

"The number of broadband subscribers in Ireland has grown from just over 400,000 to nearly 1.7 million over the past five years. Speeds are also increasing fast as evidenced in the NGBT report and by recent ComReg data as well as international comparative reports. However, boosting digital engagement is a key priority for economic growth and social inclusion. Currently 20,000 SMEs are not engaged and 21% of adults do not use the internet. This has to change - to the point where all citizens use the internet."

"The publication of the taskforce report is an important milestone in helping develop a comprehensive policy to deliver on the objective of high speed broadband, to which the present Government has always been committed."