Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter. As a rural Deputy, I have a serious interest in the issue. I apologise on behalf of the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment, Deputy Bruton. He could not be here due to an overrun in his time.

It is the Government’s commitment to ensure that every home, school and business in Ireland, regardless of how remote or rural, has access to high speed broadband. This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment and State intervention in areas where commercial operators are unlikely to invest. Many of these areas are in more remote and difficult to access areas. This is a complex and challenging problem to solve given Ireland’s dispersed rural population and density of road networks.

In 2012, fewer than 700,000 or 30% of all premises had access to high speed broadband. When the Government came into office, this figure had risen to 52%. Today, more than 1.75 million, or 74%, of all premises can access high speed broadband services. Over the past five years, the telecommunications industry has invested more than €2.75 billion in upgrading telecoms networks and services. I welcome recent announcements signalling that the industry is set to continue to build on that investment, mostly in cities, towns and villages, in the coming years. However, commercial operators will only invest so far. There are approximately half a million homes, schools, businesses and farms that are unlikely to receive access to high speed broadband from the private sector in the near future. The State must step in to bridge this gap.

The national broadband plan entails not only the initial deployment of a predominantly fibre solution across 100,000 km of road network and 96% of the land mass of Ireland but also a 25-year commitment to operate and upgrade the service for the 1.1 million people in the intervention area. This is a key investment in Ireland's future and one which will impact on public spending for a number of years.

The national broadband plan is managed in the Department by an experienced team, including national and international experts. Work is ongoing to ensure the appropriate due diligence is undertaken on this key project before any decision is made or money spent. The cost of the national broadband plan has always fallen to be determined through the procurement process and, in the event that a subsidy is awarded, it will be subject to a cap to mitigate risks of overruns. It will be a costly project and the appropriate governance and contractual safeguards must be in place to protect public investment.

There is no intention to drag out this process. There is a determination to reach a decision in a timely manner but it is an important decision and one we are determined to get right. I am aware that the Government’s ambition to deliver high speed broadband is shared throughout the House. The solution must be one that serves everyone and leaves no one behind. The Minister intends to make information available following any decision for a detailed and informed debate on this important project. He expects to bring a recommendation to the Government on the national broadband plan shortly.

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