Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Question 414: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to reimburse customers of the national broadband scheme who despite subscribing to it are not receiving an adequate service (details supplied). [29005/12]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Broadband services under the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) are available since October 2010 from "3", the NBS service provider, in all of the 1,028 Electoral Divisions (ED) designated to be covered under the Scheme. In keeping with State Aid clearance for the Scheme, the broadband service contracted under the NBS is an affordable, scalable product. The NBS mobile wireless service currently offers minimum speeds of 1.6Mbps download and 1.2Mbps upload subject to a maximum contention ratio. The NBS satellite service is utilised in a small number of cases for technical reasons associated with the location of the premises, as in the case of the person to whom the Deputy refers above. At present the minimum speeds are 1Mbps download and 128kbps upload. Both products are due to be upgraded in the next few months without any increase in the monthly charge.

With regard to the NBS service quality, my Department has well-established monitoring arrangements in place to ensure that the NBS delivers the minimum specified service or better to all users. The NBS contract guarantees service levels and imposes a service credit regime on 3, with financial consequences in the event that minimum specification service levels are not met. The NBS contract provides that where NBS customers do not receive the minimum guaranteed service as set out in the terms and conditions of their contract, they are entitled to service rebates.

My Department liaises very closely with 3 to ensure that any issues relating to service performance, which are brought to its attention are addressed as quickly as possible. In the case of the person referred to by the Deputy, my officials had already, on receipt of earlier representations on his behalf, been in contact with 3 to assist in resolving his service difficulties. Likewise, my officials have been in direct contact with the customer in the matter. 3 is currently working on improving aspects of the overall satellite service provision and have confirmed that this customer will be reimbursed for the service deterioration experienced by him. My officials will remain in contact with the customer until such time as his service issues are successfully resolved, in accordance with the requirements of the Scheme.