Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister and his officials. This is the Minister's first time taking the Estimates and I wish him the best of luck. The Department is almost all-encompassing at this stage. Broadband coverage is the main communications issue. People right across the country are very exasperated with broadband services and the almost never-never promise or commitment on the provision of broadband. Approximately 40% of the State has no adequate broadband service. I understand that the Department is moving closer to the view that the only reasonable or credible way of providing broadband right across the country is through a fibre system. Has the Department costed the possibility of bringing fibre to every community? What kind of investment is needed?

I refer to an application to the European Union Commission's state aid programme. Has that application been submitted to the EU Commission? What is the likely timeframe? Even though it is nearly 12 months since the next stage of the broadband plan was issued, it has not been submitted to the European Commission. People who have bought telephone and broadband bundling packages from some of the companies providing telecommunications services, such as Eircom, are very frustrated. They are not receiving an adequate service because the broadband system is not up to speed. What recourse can be provided by the Department? The communications regulator has issued very unsatisfactory communications in this regard. The main issue on the communications side is the broadband spend. What kind of money is being allocated by the Department for 2015? What is the Department's best estimate of the funding required for the provision of fibre to every community? How will it deal with complaints against telecommunications companies who are not honouring their side of the bargain?