Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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112. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the areas that are covered by the roll-out of fibre optic broadband to rural areas of the country under the national broadband plan; the expected time frame; the alternatives for areas not covered by the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20088/14]

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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When I talk to small businesses and people in their homes in the north west, one of the recurring complaints is that people do not have access to broadband or proper Internet speeds. I explain that the Minister and the Department are doing a lot of work, much of which is good. However, people say to me that broadband is as essential in rural areas as rural electrification was. They want to know specifically when it will happen and want the Minister to give a specific timescale.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I agree with the Deputy that it is unacceptable that in urban Ireland quality broadband connectivity competes with anything available in any city in Europe but large tracts of rural Ireland have access to a very basic service. The Government’s national broadband plan which I published in August aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring high speed broadband is available to all citizens and businesses. This will be achieved by providing a policy and regulatory framework that assists in accelerating and incentivising commercial investment and by a State-led intervention for areas where it is not commercial for the market to invest. On 25 April I signalled the Government's commitment to a major telecommunications network build-out to rural Ireland, with fibre as a foundation for future-proofed broadband services as part of the State's intervention under the national broadband plan. This commitment is a clear expression of the Government’s determination to address the connectivity challenge in rural Ireland in a meaningful and sustainable way.

Central to the strategy will be a fibre build-out to locations in every county identified as having no existing or planned enabling fibre network. The fibre build-out will be part of an end-to-end strategy that will address all parts of Ireland that cannot access commercial high speed broadband services. I have published a county by county list of towns and villages which have already been identified for a fibre build-out. The list contains over 1,000 rural communities and is available on my Department's website. This is an indicative list only and subject to the completion of the comprehensive mapping process under way. Intensive design work is ongoing in my Department with a view to publishing an end-to-end implementation strategy later this year, together with the outcome of the mapping process which will identify those areas that require intervention.

The proposed State intervention under the national broadband plan represents a significant infrastructural project. Delivery of the fibre network will require careful planning and take time. EU state aid clearance will be required for the intervention strategy once finalised.

It is expected that the detailed procurement process will take place in 2015, with a view to commencing construction of the fibre network at the end of that year.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister says he understands people's frustration. I explained to him previously the frustration felt by a person who is running a home industry, but has to travel around in a car with an iPod to try to get reception. That is no way to run a business. It would be beneficial for the Department and for people seeking information if the Minister could tell us whether it would be possible for a web page to be set up or for an office to be set up at which people with extremely poor Internet access could register their telephone numbers and addresses for that information to be communicated to the Department. The Department could then provide these people with a response telling them by what date they will have access and the minimum speed of access they can expect to have by that date. Such an initiative would, at least, let them know real progress is being made and they would have a definite date by which they could plan to develop their business. Would that be possible?

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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Recently, the Deputy and other colleagues supported a Bill in the House that facilitates the ESB entering into a joint venture with a leading telecommunications operator to use its supply infrastructure to roll out fibre to parts of rural Ireland that could never have hoped to access it. This arrangement is being concluded and the preferred company selected following the submission of expressions of interest is Vodafone. The new venture will be a 50:50 joint venture between the ESB and Vodafone, the purpose of which is to alleviate at least some of Deputy Colreavy's heartache. I expect an announcement on this in the near future.

In fairness to the commercial sector, it must be acknowledged that this sector is putting €2 billion into investment into this area. For example, Eircom has put in an additional €400 million to ensure it exceeds provision to 1.4 million premises, as distinct from the 1.1 million premises pledged as recently as two years ago. Therefore, there is significant commercial investment, the separate ESB-joint venture and the mapping exercise in which we are engaged in order to get State aid approval for us to build out the fibre network.

Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I agree that much of the necessary work is going on and people are heartened by that. However, there is little certainty for people living outside of our towns and villages regarding when they can expect action will happen. Also, there is no communication protocol on this issue, even in regard to keeping the Department informed of the situation. Mention was made of the gap analysis. People are identifying the gaps that exist and they know where they are.

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I would like to think the website does give that information. I have explained the process we must go through. There is no easy telephone solution for a small business in Dromahair that may have poor quality broadband. Without the network being available, there is no short-term solution. There are some parts of Ireland where, for topographical reasons, it is very difficult to deal with this phenomenon. That is the reason we are going for a fibre roll-out. Fibre is the Rolls Royce of connectivity. This end-to-end solution will facilitate even the most remote parts of the country, by virtue of the fact there may be alternative wireless solutions once the fibre is close by. I hope work will start on the ESB joint venture at the end of this year.

Following the mapping exercise, public procurement tendering and so on, I hope the European Union will permit us to start work on the direct State intervention, with whatever contractors are chosen, by the end of 2015.