Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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Question 467: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if a village (details supplied) and its surrounding area are covered under the national broadband scheme; if not, if this area will be added to the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42864/09]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Broadband services are provided by private service providers over various platforms including DSL (i.e. over the telephone lines), fixed wireless, mobile, cable, satellite and fibre.

I understand that mobile and satellite broadband is available in the general area of Glanworth, County Cork. Details of broadband availability throughout the country are available at www.broadband.gov.ie. I would add that information contained on this website is provided by the service providers.

EU State Aid and competition rules govern how states can intervene in areas where there are existing service providers. Accordingly, the National Broadband Scheme (NBS), which was approved by the EU Commission, is prohibited from providing a service in served areas where to do so would give rise to an unacceptable level of market distortion. For this reason, the general area of Glanworth, County Cork ,does not fall within the NBS.

The widespread acceptance of the benefits of broadband has motivated the EU Commission to set aside a portion of European Economic Recovery Package (EERP) funding for rural broadband initiatives.

I am considering how the provision of broadband services to un-served rural premises can be achieved through an appropriate intervention under the EERP. My Department is currently considering options for the design of such a scheme. This work will include the identification of premises not capable of receiving broadband.

Discussions have already commenced with the European Commission on the first step of applying for and securing State Aid clearance.

Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 468: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the way the selection of towns and cities to be connected to the MANs programme takes place; the reason that Bray, Wicklow and Arklow were left out of the phase two of the MANs programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42895/09]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) are high-speed, open access, carrier neutral electronic communications networks, which facilitate competition in the electronic communications market in regional towns and cities nationwide. Phase I of this Programme was aimed at facilitating the delivery of broadband services in cities and towns that did not have broadband at that time. The Government approved the building of the Phase I MANs in March 2002. Phase I has so far delivered optical fibre based networks to twenty-seven towns and cities throughout the country. All twenty-seven are operational and open for business.

A further ninety-four towns, with populations in excess of 1,500, were identified as locations for MANs under Phase II of the Programme on the basis that there was no DSL broadband available from the incumbent service provider in each of the locations. The Government approved the building of the Phase II MANs in November 2003. Fifty-nine of these MANs covering sixty-five towns have been completed to date. The Kinsale MAN is due to be completed in quarter two of 2010.

Bray, Wicklow and Arklow were not included under Phase II of the MANs Programme as DSL broadband was available in all three towns at the time of the Government decision.