Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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69. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will prioritise County Kerry in the broadband intervention strategy, as the county has had significant underinvestment by the State and the market in its telecom infrastructure, which is manifestly obvious from the national broadband plan survey data map; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39198/15]

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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I ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will prioritise County Kerry in the broadband intervention strategy, as the county has had significant underinvestment by the State and the market in its telecommunications infrastructure, which is manifestly obvious from the national broadband plan survey data map, and if he will make a statement on this matter.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The Government’s national broadband plan aims to ensure every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high-quality, high-speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and State-led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided.

Last November, I published a national high-speed coverage map for 2016. This map is available at .The map shows Ireland with two colours, blue and amber, and was developed based on the most up-to-date information available at the time of publication. The areas marked blue represent those areas where commercial providers are either delivering or have plans to deliver high-speed broadband services by the end of 2016. The areas marked amber represent the target areas for the proposed State intervention. I encourage consumers to consult the websites of the various commercial operators to ascertain details of current and planned future deployment plans.

Thirty-eight responses were received following the publication of the national broadband plan proposed intervention strategy last July. Non-confidential versions of these submissions have been published since last week and can be accessed at www.broadband.gov.ie.

The Department continues to review the technical and financial detail relating to potential new commercial investment proposals with a view to updating the intervention area map. I expect to publish an updated version of the map, finalise the strategy and move to formal procurement phase before the end of the year. The prospective bidder or bidders are experts in network roll-out and each will offer different network architectures and technologies to deliver the network. It is proposed to engage with the winning bidders on the optimum roll-out strategy and on the sequencing of the network deployment to maximise efficiencies during network build, having regard to business and consumer needs and to areas of particularly poor service and areas of strong demand. All these factors will need to be balanced against the most efficient network roll-out and will be agreed during the procurement process. The Government is determined to ensure the network is built as quickly as possible and engagement with industry stakeholders has indicated this could be achieved within three to five years of the contract award.

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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According to the Department's survey carried out in 2014, which was conducted by the commercial operators in County Kerry, we stand out as having the greatest need for State intervention to supply high-speed broadband to homes and businesses. County Kerry is in the top four of greatest need in terms of requiring State intervention, the lack of commercial coverage and the number of premises needing intervention. More half the homes and businesses in County Kerry have been designated as requiring intervention. We welcome what is happening in some of the larger towns, for example, the recent roll-out of high-quality broadband in Tralee and likewise to Killarney and Listowel.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy.

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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Unfortunately, the great majority of County Kerry is in deficit and there is a strong case for prioritising investment in the county due to the level of unemployment and underemployment.

We also have a very low level of disposable income, with declining rural populations. Naturally, we need to see preservation of the Gaeltacht regions in the county.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I will come back to the Deputy for a supplementary question.

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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The infrastructural deficit must be addressed most of all in order to create and retain employment.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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Creating and maintaining employment, as the Deputy has stated, is one of the most important advantages that will accrue from the national broadband plan. I absolutely agree with the Deputy in that regard. I confirm that in Kerry, high-speed broadband services have been rolled out to over 27,500 premises to date, with a further 11,200 premises expected to be served by commercial operators. The remaining 51,200 premises in County Kerry will require coverage either by further commercial investment or they will be a target of the proposed State intervention under the national broadband plan. It is absolutely fair that the Deputy would make the case for County Kerry and there is a real case for whole areas of the county, as well as many areas in rural Ireland across the country, where broadband, or at least high-speed broadband, is unavailable and where the commercial sector is unlikely to invest. That is why the State must intervene and ensure we give people the same opportunities and access in rural Ireland as is available elsewhere. I dealt with the sequencing of how that will happen in my formal reply.

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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It is very evident that currently there is a two-tier system, with large tracts of expansive countryside in rural communities in County Kerry with practically no broadband or else very poor coverage, to be honest. I have several examples of people in commercial businesses being affected. The Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas, CEDRA, report, published by chairman Pat Spillane, for example, emphasised the expediting of the rolling out of broadband to give some regional balance. Rural decline is accelerating because of the haemorrhaging of the young population, as those people are leaving in droves. Broadband is a major factor in this regard.

I have a message from the owner of a very viable enterprise in County Kerry.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Do you have a question?

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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The owner states:

Poor broadband connectivity has proved to be one of the biggest deterrents in running a successful business for us in County Kerry. Connectivity is so poor that we have on a number of occasions sent our staff home so they could use their home Internet to research their work projects. To survive and grow, we need to compete not just nationally but in a global market. However, we are forced to compete without the basic tools of Internet connectivity enjoyed by most of our competitors, who are based in urban areas and consequently do not experience the same constraint.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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I must ask the Minister to conclude.

Tom Fleming (Kerry South, Independent)
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This company has secured contracts with State agencies and it is trying its utmost to keep up that work. It cannot do so in the current climate.

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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I agree with all the points made by the Deputy. He sets out the disadvantage experienced by areas of the country in the absence of adequate and high-speed broadband, particularly with regard to business and access to public and social services, as well as education and ability to interact culturally. All of these are areas of activity and interaction in a modern society and economy to which people should have a right. He is absolutely right in his comments about Kerry, as there are areas of the county that will be required to be dealt with through the State intervention. Other Deputies in the House and in the wider building could make the same case for their county, which is fair. That is why we are doing this as one big State intervention, which is going to procurement at the end of this year, as I have indicated. It is a State project. People sometimes criticise the State or the Government for not being willing to intervene and make an investment. We have said in a robust way that we will make this investment and solve this problem by intervening where the commercial sector will not.