Alex White (Dublin South, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I would not dream of accusing the Deputy of naivety. The Deputy has been a supporter and has understood realistically what such a huge State investment entails. I thank him for that.

The Government's national broadband plan aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high-quality, high-speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investment and State-led intervention in areas in which commercial services are not provided. On 29 September 2015, the Government approved an allocation of €275 million for the NBP, which will provide the initial stimulus required to deliver the Government's intervention. Combined with commercial investment, this will ensure that 85% of Ireland's premises have high-speed broadband by 2018, with 100% coverage being achieved by 2020. Last November I published a national high-speed coverage map for 2016, which is available at our website, .The map is based on the most up-to-date information available at the time of publication. I encourage consumers to consult the websites of the various commercial operators to ascertain the details of current and future deployment plans.

Following the publication of the NBP's proposed intervention strategy in July last, 38 responses were received. Non-confidential versions of these submissions have been published since last week, and these can be accessed at . Meanwhile, my Department continues to review the technical and financial detail relating to potential new commercial investment proposals with a view to updating the intervention area map. I expect to publish an updated version of the map, finalise the strategy and move to the formal procurement phase before the end of the year. The Government is determined to ensure that the network is built out as quickly as possible. Engagement with industry stakeholders has indicated that this could be achieved within three to five years of the contract award.

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