An Oireachtas Committee has said that the availability of universal high speed broadband access is essential to maintaining economic progress.
The Joint Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources said that broadband infrastructure today was as much an imperative as railways, electricity grids and roads had been in the past.
The committee made a number of recommendations, including the appointment of a single Minister of State with responsibility for the roll-out of a national broadband infrastructure and the development of a national broadband plan this year.
The report also says all national, regional, county and city development plans should include provision for broadband.
The Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resouces, Dermot Ahern, welcomed today's report. He said there had been major spending on broadband rollout throughout the country and competition was forcing a significant reduction in pricing.
