Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

This was an important part of the discussions around the programme for Government. Several areas have been identified and are being worked on by the task force, including the removal of development contributions for telecommunications infrastructure. The latter will enable increased placement of that vital infrastructure. Exempted development regulations with the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government will allow industry to accelerate the roll-out of 4G services while ensuring regulations remain valid and stay abreast of network development consumer demand. Online systems for planning applications will streamline the application process. Transport Infrastructure Ireland, TII, is working on ducting installation work to fill the gap in respect of the motorway network and to facilitate telecoms operators. TII will review the cost of access for telecoms operators to its ducts. A composite national coverage map is being prepared by ComReg to help consumers and businesses choose the network provider which best meets their needs where they work and live. ComReg will work on the level of signal which can be expected from different handsets in different areas. Much work has been done by local authority broadband officers to ascertain and provide a much greater degree of consistency and engagement with telecoms operators in assisting in clearing obstacles to the roll-out of infrastructure. This important work is being carried out by the task force.

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