Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress being made to roll out broadband to an area (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8728/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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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. Details of broadband services available in each county can be found on ComReg's website at www.callcosts.ie.

In cases of market failure the Government will intervene, where it is appropriate and possible to do so. The National Broadband Scheme (NBS) represents such an intervention. 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. The mapping exercise undertaken by my Department at the time of designing the NBS found that broadband services were available in the area referred to in the Deputy's Question and consequently the locality was excluded from the Scheme.

I am pleased to say that under the NBS broadband is now available in all Electoral Divisions in the NBS Coverage Area. It continues to be a priority of the Government that there will be broadband coverage across the entire country. 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 for rural broadband initiatives. Using this funding, which will be augmented by an Exchequer contribution, I intend to formally launch a Rural Broadband Scheme shortly. This scheme will aim to provide a basic broadband service to individual unserved rural premises outside of the NBS areas. 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.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 117: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress being made in the roll out of broadband to district electoral divisions that were not covered under the national broadband scheme and that are still without broadband provision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8729/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The provision of telecommunications services, including broadband services, is a matter in the first instance for private sector service providers operating in a liberalised market regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). In cases of market failure the Government will intervene, where it is appropriate and possible to do so. The National Broadband Scheme (NBS) represents such an intervention. Broadband services are now available throughout the entire NBS area.

However, despite Government and private investment in broadband, I am aware that there continues to be isolated cases of premises throughout the country that are not capable of receiving a broadband service. This is primarily due to technical and other reasons (e.g., suitability of a telephone line, distance from an enabled exchange, or no 'line of sight' from the premises to the wireless base station).

The European Commission has set aside a portion of the European Economic Recovery Programme (EERP) funding for rural broadband initiatives. Using this funding, which will be augmented by an Exchequer contribution, I intend to formally announce the launch of a Rural Broadband Scheme in the coming weeks. This scheme will aim to provide a basic broadband service to individual un-served rural premises outside of the NBS areas. There will be a competitive process to engage a service provider who will offer a broadband service to qualified applicants under the scheme. While the exact details have yet to be finalised, I expect that the service offered under this scheme would at least match the service offered under the NBS and that the scheme will be fully rolled out by the end of 2012.