Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 46: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the proposed one-stop shop for State-owned broadband will be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16854/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The objective of the one-stop shop commitment in the next generation broadband policy paper "Gateway to a Knowledge Ireland" is to facilitate telecommunications network operators in gaining access to ducting that exists along publicly-owned energy, transport and other infrastructure to help reduce the cost of fibre roll-out for backhaul networks.

Government policy is to make available all State-owned infrastructure on an open-access basis in so far as is possible. I do not favour exclusive deals being done whereby one telecommunications company secures exclusive access to a particular State-owned network.

An important step in delivering on this commitment is the Communications Regulation (Premium Rate Services and Electronic Communications Infrastructure) Act 2010, which provides that the National Roads Authority, NRA, is the single point of contact for access to ducts on motorways and other national roads. This means that telecommunications service providers no longer must approach individual local authorities when seeking such access.

The legislation also allows the NRA to make a scheme, which will permit it to impose charges for the use of ducts subject to the approval of the Minister for Transport following consultation with the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, and the Minister for Finance. I am satisfied that this will provide an open and transparent way of setting access pricing for NRA infrastructure.

I understand the NRA has engaged expertise to assist in developing this new business and that it has been meeting with service providers as part of this process. I very much welcome this development as it is an example of what I set out to achieve in facilitating open access to State-owned ducting. Such open access is a clear policy objective of mine.

The NRA model is a significant advance and I will seek to extend this approach to other suitable State-owned infrastructure.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Not only am I surprised by the Minister's answer, but I am quite worried by it. We have been waiting for nearly a year for a progress report on the promised one-stop shop for State-owned broadband services to facilitate those investing in broadband in Ireland and piggy-backing on investment the State has made, whether in fibre, in ducting or in whatever infrastructure.

The Minister has confirmed today that the NRA will be the one-stop shop and it will deal only with ducting infrastructure. Is it the case that he has given up on the project of bringing together all the State-owned infrastructure? He has now provided this information on the Department's website so it is clear to see who owns what. The purpose was to achieve a co-ordinated approach so that people could use one portal to establish how they could use and benefit from State-owned infrastructure. His reply to my question seems to imply the Minister has abandoned this concept, with the exception of the NRA dealing with the ducting infrastructure. Is this the case?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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No. It is a case of evolving what is being done in the NRA and applying it to other suitable infrastructure. The NRA and the roads network is the most extensive network for rolling out open access fibre ducting so it is significant and important. However, it is not the only measure which is being progressed and neither is it the only development related to State assets. For example, there is significant deployment of fibre along the gas pipelines and electricity wires.

The question as to whether the one-stop shop will include all State infrastructure, including what are now commercial entities operating within the commercial market, is a valid question. We have to be careful. In my view, it is better to develop those assets not currently in the commercial market and where there may not be a commercial business case for the agency to work with them and to provide the one-stop shop to ensure those non-utilised assets become available. I do not believe it would be right to bring together every single piece of State infrastructure at this time - including those already operating within a commercial market - and to apply a common approach.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Which one will be under the one-stop shop and which will not?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The one-stop shop will apply in the case of the RPA ducting. I have been informed by the head of the RPA that a commercial case has not yet been made.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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What about the MANs?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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This is the difficulty. At this point and subject to ongoing negotiation with TIF, it would not be appropriate for us to bring every single piece of State ducting infrastructure together but in cases where the potential for ducting is not being utilised, we will try to make that available. We are dealing with a market and we must be careful that any State actions support investment rather than undermine it.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Minister is saying the one-stop shop now only applies to ducting. Less than two months ago he stated that such a management system would facilitate the wider objective of promoting co-operation between different telecom providers for backhaul and wholesale services. This now seems to be nonsense. Am I correct in interpreting what the Minister is saying as being that the one-stop shop he refers to is solely confined to ducting and that the level of his ambition to date is asking the NRA to co-ordinate the marketing and use of ducting infrastructure which it has already constructed?

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Ducting is important. The deployment of fibre is the crucial piece of infrastructure we wish to facilitate-----

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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We have fibre already in the ground but it is not being used and it is not connected.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Our job is to ensure that the State infrastructure such as the canals, railway lines, roads, is capable of carrying fibre and typically in ducts. We have had discussions with other bodies such as the Office of Public Works and the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform to discuss what can be done within the Garda stations. It is not exclusively restricted to dealing with the NRA but the NRA is the first major-scale response to making ducting available on an open access basis.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It is not a one-stop shop.

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The concept of a one-stop shop is to have a central location within the State in which expertise is concentrated and is made available in a way that will support the commercial market. This is what we are doing.