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

As the Deputy knows, the architecture of the plan we published in August last year essentially envisages a three-tier formation. In other words, by 2015 some 50% of the population will have access to very high-speed industrial strength broadband. By the end of the lifetime of the Government in 2016, a further 20% of the population will have a broadband speed of 40 Mbps per second or better. The remaining tier which could be up to 30% of the population is the one on which Deputy Michael Moynihan is focusing. Again, the commitment is that by the end of the lifetime of the Government, no area in that tier will have a broadband speed of less than 30 Mbps per second, or 15 times what is available to them.

On the prospectus we are putting together, we have to go through the state-aid process. We are about to commence the mapping exercise that will have to be conducted across the country. We have to obtain EU approval because State intervention is demanded as the commercial sector will not meet the demands of some of that area, if not a good deal of it. The prospectus will require the successful bidders to commit to a broadband speed of 30 Mbps per second. The contracts, accordingly, will not be signed unless that commitment is made.

There are some other interesting innovations in this area, one of which is being led by the ESB which is in the process of selecting a partner for a joint vehicle to roll out fibre optic to parts of the country that would not otherwise reasonably expect to have it. There are developments on the ground that are leading to improvements every day.

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