Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

My party supports the target of 70 to 100 Mbps for at least 50% of the population, as contained in the plan. However, the Minister's reply is high on rhetoric and low on substance and I have numerous questions because of that. How is it proposed to ensure universal coverage at high speeds? Broadband penetration in many rural areas is less than 20%. There is no specific detail as to how the Government might address this in the plan. There is no date for the delivery of the national minimum speed but rather a vague promise that it will be achieved during the lifetime of the Government. I expect and assume that is because, as mentioned within the plan, the indicative cost to the State for its roll-out is €175 million over the period of the plan. The Minister has stated that his Department has commenced dialogue with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and NewERA with a view to identifying funding sources. Has the Minister any update on this dialogue? How is it progressing, when is it likely to conclude and at what point will the Minister be in a position to inform the House of the availability of this funding? Perhaps then he will be able to be more specific regarding the means and methods by which the plan's targets might be met and ultimately give a clearer indication of the exact timeframe for the eventual roll-out.

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