Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

Having listened to Senator Burke I wonder if there is something particular about Courtbrack which I should consider. To be honest, the matter has not been brought to my attention before today but as a result of Senator Burke's remarks, I will examine it. The Senator is already aware that Ireland's telecommunication's market has been liberalised since 1999 and has developed into a well-regulated market, supporting a multiplicity of commercial operators providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. The State is not a service provider in the market and can only intervene in cases of demonstrable market failure.

Thanks largely to significant commercial investment, we have witnessed considerable progress in recent years in terms of both coverage levels and improved speeds. However, much of this has been confined to the main urban centres. The Government's national broadband plan, which I published last year, aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring high-speed broadband is available to all citizens and businesses, and this will be achieved by providing a policy and regulatory framework that assists in accelerating and incentivising commercial investment and a State-led intervention for areas where it is not commercial for the market to invest.

Since publication of the plan, fixed-line and wireless telecommunications providers in Ireland have accelerated the roll-out of high-speed services and are now investing €2 billion in services and broadband coverage across Ireland. The extent of coverage and quality of service significantly exceeds the targets to which industry committed at the time the plan was published. On 25 April I signalled the Government's commitment to a major telecoms network build-out to rural Ireland with fibre as the foundation for future-proof broadband services as part of the State intervention under the national plan. This commitment is a clear expression of the Government's determination to address the connectivity challenge in rural Ireland in a meaningful and sustainable way. The fibre build-out will be part of an end-to-end strategy that will address all parts of Ireland which cannot access commercial high-speed broadband services. Central to the strategy will be a fibre build-out to locations in every county in the State identified as having no existing or planned enabling fibre network.

As Senator Burke knows, I published a preliminary county-by-county list of towns which takes in more than 1,000 locations. I should point out that this list is only indicative and is based on information currently available. It is subject to revision upon completion of the comprehensive mapping process currently under way. Further locations, such as Courtbrack, may be identified as the process continues. Similarly, it may be determined that some of the locations will be addressed by the commercial sector and will therefore not require State intervention. From Senator Burke's comments, that does not seem likely in this case.

A comprehensive implementation strategy containing details of all the proposed elements of the State intervention, along with the outcome of the mapping process, will be published for public consultation later this year. It is my intention to ensure that by delivering an end-to-end market intervention with fibre as a core component, all parts of rural Ireland, including Courtbrack, will enjoy opportunities similar to those in urban areas. In committing to a fibre build-out at the heart of this strategy, the Government is acknowledging that broadband is the key infrastructure of the 21st century.