Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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1. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide an update on the national broadband mapping project; the actions he will take to improve broadband services in rural Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40484/14]

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Will the Minister provide an update on the national broadband mapping project, the improvement of the broadband service particularly in rural Ireland and parts of urban Ireland, and the entire broadband agenda?

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Through the national broadband plan, NBP, the Government aims to ensure that high speed broadband is available to all citizens and businesses in Ireland, through a combination of commercial investment and a State-led intervention. The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in network upgrades and at least 1.6 million of the 2.3 million addresses in Ireland are expected to have access to commercial high speed broadband services over the next number of years.

Under EU state aid guidelines member states cannot intervene where commercial investors have plans to roll out services. My Department is currently finalising a national map which will identify those areas that require State intervention. An initial examination has already identified a significant number of areas that will require State intervention.

As part of the mapping process, a stakeholder consultation was launched in June. Some 32 submissions have been received and non-commercially sensitive versions of these responses are due to be published by my Department this week. I expect to publish the map shortly. Those accessing it will be able to identify their own house or premises and see whether it is in the proposed intervention footprint. Where a house or premises is not in the proposed intervention area it means it either currently has or will in the near future have access to commercial high speed broadband services. The map will be subject to change as new information becomes available or commercial investments are announced in the future.

A further public consultation on a detailed intervention strategy will be launched in mid-2015. The Department is also working closely with the European Commission with a view to obtaining state aid clearance for the programme.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

A detailed procurement process will be undertaken in order to select a potential preferred bidder or bidders towards the end of 2015. This complex and ambitious project is a key priority for the Government. It aims to conclusively address current connectivity challenges in Ireland. Our goal is to ensure that quality broadband services are available to all citizens regardless of where they are located.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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When the national broadband mapping project and its details were announced in April 2014 the EU state aids guidelines were not mentioned. When will we get clearance from the EU? There is a huge problem with broadband. Every day people contact me about it. Some providers have been contacted continuously since mid-July about broadband, Eircom and others and complaints made to the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. The Minister and the Government need to take a hands-on approach. The Minister said that he hopes to announce this later this week but today is Thursday, when this week does he hope to make this announcement? When will the mapping happen?

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I did not say I would make any particular announcement this week. I said we would publish the results of the consultation and the various submissions we received on the website this week. In respect of the map I said it would available shortly. I expect that to be during the month of November.

The state aids aspect could not be new to the Deputy. The state aids rules are well known and have been in place for several years. There are constraints on what any member state can do to intervene in the market because these services are largely provided by the private sector. Where the private sector says it will not or cannot go because it will not make a profit it is up to the State to intervene. The Deputy is right about that. I appreciate his frustration and that of many around the country at how long these interventions are likely to take but I want to give the House an insight into the sort of work we are doing. The Deputy asked me to take a direct hands-on approach. I give him an absolute assurance that is what I am doing, directly as Minister, leading this process in the Department.

Over the coming months we need to do a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis to underpin the funding we need; assess the likely final net cost to the State; assess how the funding is to be secured, whether off-balance sheet and how the funding model might impact on the Exchequer balance sheet; assess whether infrastructure financed through State funds should be owned by the State or a commercial company; decide whether we go with a winner-takes-all approach such as one contractor, or divide the competition into lots; decide the likely contract duration for the future; assess how service quality is to be measured; decide the governance arrangements for the contract given the long-term nature of the intervention we intend to make; assess the impact of the intervention on the telecommunications market in Ireland, for example the impact on the universal service provision for voice telephony; prepare a database of assets or State agencies whose assets are available for use by telecommunications operators; finalise of the intervention map; and formalise the EU state aid provisions. There is a myriad of activities required.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Is it nearly time that the Government considered a public service obligation for broadband, similar to that for voice telephony which the Minister mentioned, such that broadband must be delivered to every community? The time is coming for serious action on this.

I raised this as a Topical Issue matter some weeks ago in respect of Banteer. I am inundated with queries from communities, including Castlemagner, in north Cork and from Rockchapel where there is no broadband in the school.

We need to see the Commission for Communications Regulation and the Minister getting involved as part of a whole-of-government approach to this issue, which is critical if we are to ensure there is sustainability within local communities. I welcome the Minister's statement that he will take a hands-on approach and that the Department will play a lead role. It is time to look at what we can do from a legislative perspective to ensure broadband is accessible to every household in the State.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Unfortunately, it is not the kind of initiative that simply passing a law will make happen. While I agree with the Deputy that this is urgent and important - we can all agree with that - I am aware that the passing of legislation, of itself, will not make this happen. The Deputy knows it is more complex than that. I am not sure what precisely he is proposing when he suggests there should be a public service obligation in respect of broadband. On which entity would such an obligation rest? I do not know precisely what is being suggested. The Deputy has rightly taken a close interest in this issue, as I have. Almost every day, I make an inquiry in my Department about this critically important issue and discuss it with my officials. The Deputy is right to say that it is of enormous importance for communities, individual citizens, business, tourism and a range of activities, particularly in rural Ireland.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Schools.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Absolutely. We have made very good progress in the secondary school system.

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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Primary schools.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Absolutely. Broadband is a critically important requirement for communities, citizens and businesses right across the board. We will deliver it. People are probably looking for fewer announcements from me and more delivery

Michael Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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That would be great.