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

The rural broadband scheme was intended to pick up premises which did not have a service because of topographical or other issues.

The investment of State money meant that the rural broadband scheme could not apply where a service provider already existed. If there are defects or difficult pockets where the national broadband scheme is not doing its job, I ask that specific complaints be brought to my Department. In tribute to the provider, 3, since the deal was agreed it has co-operated with my Department to address issues in areas where the service is not what might be expected.

As regards Deputy Heydon's question about specific villages in County Kildare, it is difficult to identify the locations where the State should intervene before the mapping exercise is complete. I anticipate that it will have to intervene in parts of the country that are currently the remit of the national broadband scheme. In the case of second level schools, we started to install high speed broadband in parts of the country where the service was weakest so that every second level school in 13 counties in the west of Ireland will be connected by the middle of this month. Similarly, I hope we will have regard for the areas that are weakest and the pockets where issues arise in respect of the quality of broadband rather its availability.

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