Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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Question 192: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide a progress report on plans for a high-speed broadband connection scheme in Skibbereen, County Cork; the timescale for the completion of the project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13539/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I am assuming the Deputy is referring to the Metropolitan Area Network in Skibbereen which, as with all the Metropolitan Area Networks (MANs) throughout the country are managed and operated by e|net who were appointed following a procurement process and who make the networks available to the telecommunications sector. All connections to the MANs are wholesale connections which may be used by the relevant service provider to provide services to multiple end users.

In the case of the Skibbereen MAN, e|net has been exploring various backhaul options with operators in the area. In the event that a business premises in Skibbereen wants broadband services delivered over a fibre connection, e|net would set out the possible options and costs. e|net remains available at all times to discuss the options for connection to the MAN with interested parties.

In addition, under the NewERA proposals in the Programme for Government there is a commitment to co-invest with the private sector and commercial Semi State sector to provide Next Generation Broadband to every home and business in the State. Consideration of how best to develop these proposals, is currently being advanced by my Department with other stakeholders across Government.

In order to accelerate the development of high speed broadband, my colleague Minister of State O'Dowd and I intend to engage intensively with industry. The discussions will focus on identifying private and State sector investment plans, removal of barriers to investment where appropriate, and establishing appropriate targets and programmes. The Next Generation Broadband Taskforce (NGBT), which includes representatives of large and smaller telecommunications network providers, will consider how best to roll out Next Generation Broadband. The NGBT will meet shortly to discuss policy and related matters. I expect that the NGBT will be helpful in terms of identifying the optimal policy position to deliver wider customer access to high-speed broadband.