Seymour Crawford (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Question 448: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources further to Parliamentary Question No. 333 of 27 April 2010, if he will justify the fact that some individuals cannot get broadband in the area or have to pay significant prices for a booster box; his views on whether it is fair that a national organisation should advise that the area is covered with broadband when the reality is only pockets of areas are covered with broadband on which side of the hill and so on that you live; his further views on whether in the current economic climate broadband is essential for people wherever they live to make contact with opportunities which will allow them to get income from employment in the future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23237/10]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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The provision of broadband services is in the first instance a matter for private sector service providers operating in Ireland's fully liberalised telecommunications market. Broadband services are provided by private service providers over various platforms including DSL (i.e. over telephone lines), fixed wireless, mobile, cable, fibre and satellite.

In cases of market failure the Government will intervene, where it is appropriate and possible to do so. Prior to the commencement of the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) a detailed mapping exercise was carried out to help determine those areas that would be included in the scheme and those which, by virtue of being already substantially served by existing broadband suppliers, were to be excluded.

EU State aid and competition rules govern how states can intervene in areas where there are existing service providers operating. Accordingly, the NBS is prohibited from providing a service in served areas where to do so would give rise to an unacceptable level of market distortion. Precise details of the electoral divisions throughout the State that are to be included in the National Broadband Scheme can be viewed on my Department's website www.dcenr.ie Details of the telecommunications service providers operating in county Monaghan can be found at www.callcosts.ie on ComReg's website.

It continues to be a priority of the Government that there will be broadband coverage across the entire country. However, despite Government and private investment in broadband, I am aware that there continues to be a small percentage of premises throughout the country that will not be capable of receiving broadband services. This is primarily due to technical and other reasons (suitability of a telephone line, distance from an enabled exchange, no line of sight etc.).

The European Commission has set aside a portion of the European Economic Recovery Programme (EERP) funding and granted State Aid approval for rural broadband initiatives. My Department is currently progressing the design and implementation of a scheme which would be available to un-served rural premises outside of the NBS areas. This work will include the identification of premises not capable of receiving broadband. It is hoped to commence this scheme in late 2010 and have it completed by 2012. As the scheme is only at the design stage, there is no application process at this juncture. Information in relation to acceptance of applications and the process of qualification under the scheme will be made available in due course when the scheme is launched.