Some statistics can flatter to deceive. Ireland's average broadband speed may be the seventh fastest in the world, but the great benefit of rapid internet access is also poorly distributed across the country. On that broader measure – the distribution of high-speed broadband – Ireland drops to 42nd place in global rankings, underlining a national digital divide. High broadband speeds achieved in urban areas are offset by slow speeds in rural areas, with some – broadband blackspots – not covered at all.
In Ireland, almost a third of the population live in areas where commercial broadband is not available. In Europe far fewer, between 15 and 20 per cent, are in that position. Rural broadband, or its absence, is a challenge that governments have, for more than a decade, struggled to overcome. Since 2004 there have been four government initiatives to boost public access to broadband. The latest plan envisages national broadband by 2020, with all regions enjoying acceptable broadband provision, rather than enduring the current inadequate two-tier service.
Almost a century ago rural electrification laid the foundation for national economic advance, and for social progress. Its 21st century equivalent is the internet. Digital communication helps to eliminate distance, and to ensure that rural locations with access to a high-speed broadband network – whether for business, e-commerce and other activities – are no longer at a great disadvantage relative to major urban centres.
But without adequate broadband, the potential for creating thousands of jobs in rural areas is not fully exploited. Given our reliance on major US multinationals – Apple, Microsoft, Intel, Google and others in the technology sector – for export-led growth, the delay in developing a good national broadband service sooner has been costly. High speed broadband offers one of the best ways for the State to overcome its peripheral location, and to compensate for its relative isolation and distance from major world markets. That opportunity has been denied to rural Ireland for too long.