Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 295: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the position regarding the provision of broadband services (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28272/05]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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The provision of telecommunications services, including broadband, is a matter in the first instance for the private sector companies operating in a fully liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg, the independent regulator.

It has been clear for some time that the sector has failed to invest at the level necessary to keep pace with the demand for broadband, so my Department's regional broadband programme is addressing the infrastructure deficit by building high speed open access broadband networks, in association with the local and regional authorities, in the major towns and cities. These metropolitan area networks, MANs, will allow the private sector to offer world-class broadband services at competitive costs.

Nineteen MANs are now completed and a further seven are nearing completion. The second phase of the programme involves the building of MANs in a further 93 towns with a population of 1,500 and above that do not have a satisfactory broadband offering from the sector. Kildare is developing projects in respect of the following towns: Kildare, Newbridge, Rathangan, Sallins, Maynooth, Clane, Monasterevin, Kilcock and Prosperous. The route designs are being finalised prior to issuing the detailed design invitation to tender. Construction on these projects is expected to commence in early 2006.

For rural communities and the hinterlands of larger towns such as Athy, my Department offers funding under the county and group broadband scheme to enable these communities to become self-sufficient in broadband, in association with the service providers. To date the following schemes have been approved for Kildare county: Cloncurry, Balraheen, Timahoe, Kilcock rural area, Clane rural area, Drehid, Dunfierth, Cadamstown and Donadee, making broadband available to over 7,927 people. Full details of the scheme, including application procedures, are on the website www.gbs.gov.ie.

My Department's website www.broadband.gov.ie lists all service providers offering broadband services in all towns in Kildare, and gives contact details for each company, together with prices for the various service levels on offer.