Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 228: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if and when the next round of the regional broadband scheme will be announced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10660/07]

Martin Ferris (Kerry North, Sinn Fein)
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Question 229: To ask the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources if he will include Duagh, County Kerry in the next round of the regional broadband scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10661/07]

Noel Dempsey (Meath, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 228 and 229 together.

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 independent Commission for Communications Regulation, ComReg. However, in response to the slow roll out of broadband by the private sector to areas of the country where it was uneconomic to provide broadband, the Government launched the Regional Broadband Programme with a targeted investment in the programme of €260 million under the National Development Plan (NDP). The two main elements of the Regional Broadband Programme are the roll out of the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) and the Group Broadband Scheme (GBS).

The Metropolitan Area Networks (MANS) involves the roll out of high speed fibre networks to more than 120 towns and cities around the country. The Group Broadband Scheme (GBS) offered smaller towns and rural communities the opportunity to obtain broadband connectivity for their areas. There were two Calls for proposals under the GBS, one in 2004 and one in 2005. Grant aid amounting to €5.9 million was offered to the service providers approved under the Group Broadband Scheme.

The facilitation of broadband coverage across the entire county continues to be a key priority. I am aware that, despite Government and private investment in broadband, there are areas of the country where the private sector is unable to justify the commercial provision of broadband connectivity, accordingly, I recently announced a new National Broadband Scheme (NBS) which will aim to provide a broadband service to these areas. This Scheme will supersede the Group Broadband Scheme (GBS). Therefore, there will be no further calls for proposals for funding under the GBS.

The National Broadband Scheme (NBS) will be confined to areas of the country that are not yet served by any broadband service provider, currently thought to be 10-15% of the population. This scheme should, when it is fully rolled out, ensure that all reasonable requests for broadband from houses and premises in the areas unserved by broadband are met including rural areas. A Steering Group comprising officials from my Department and ComReg is currently considering all elements of the proposed National Broadband Scheme and work on the design of an appropriate tender is under way.