Sherlock proposes Broadband rollout by ESB

Speaking at the Labour Party Conference this weekend, Labour Communications spokesperson Seán Sherlock TD proposed that the ESB and the State should roll out the National Broadband Plan.

“I think anybody with any semblance of common sense who is looking at the issue of broadband now can’t have confidence in the National Broadband Scheme because there are just too many errors that have been made,” said Deputy Sherlock.

“I propose that we would employ a mechanism called the Services of General Economic Interest which would allow the State to invest in an infrastructure through for instance the ESB network to put in place an infrastructure into every home that would allow for broadband and fibre to be delivered to the home. We need to start talking about common sense because I believe there is little or no confidence in the Government’s ability to be able to roll out a broadband scheme. I would not be in favour of the renationalisation of Eir but I am in favour absolutely investing in ESB which we own and let them roll out the infrastructure on a wholesale basis and then let the market compete for the individual packages to the home.”