Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 287: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of weeks on which he has had newspaper advertisements in newspapers in County Donegal to advertise the application process and closing date for the rural broadband scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19706/11]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 288: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the efforts he has made to publicise nationally the process for applying for the rural broadband scheme and the end of July closing date. [19707/11]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 289: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if any household or business currently unable to receive broadband speeds of higher than 0.3 megabytes per second will be eligible to apply for a broadband service under the rural broadband scheme. [19709/11]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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Question 290: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if there will be a minimum threshold set for broadband Internet speeds less than which households and businesses will become eligible to apply for the rural broadband scheme. [19710/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 287 to 290, inclusive, together.

The Rural Broadband Scheme (RBS) has been open for applications since 9th May last and will remain open until 29th July next. An official notice regarding the launch of the Scheme was placed in the Government Notices section of the Irish Independent on the morning of the launch. In addition, a Press Release was issued to all national and provincial newspapers and the launch of the scheme received prominent coverage on national and local radio.

Prior to the Scheme's launch my Department spent a considerable time liaising and meeting with the various Regional and Local Authorities with a view to harnessing their collective network of local and community contacts to promulgate the message about the RBS within their respective areas. I am happy to report that this approach has proven to be very positive with the various Authorities putting in place measures aimed at raising awareness in areas which they consider are most likely to benefit from the Scheme. The approach taken has included arranging information meetings at community level, coverage by local media, links on websites, notices distributed to libraries and other local public offices and information distributed in community notices. Representative bodies such as Irish Rural Link have also played an important role in raising public awareness of the scheme through their contacts at community and national level. My Department will shortly be again engaging with the Regional Authorities as well as all members of the Oireachtas to further promote the scheme in advance of the closing date of the 29th of this month.

With regard to the Deputy's questions concerning a minimum broadband speed threshold for applicants, the Scheme is open only to applicants in rural non-National Broadband Scheme areas who are unable to obtain a broadband service from a commercial operator. EU State Aid rules prohibit the Scheme from including members of the public, who already have, or are capable of having, a broadband service from a commercial operator.

There are procedures in place for situations where broadband subscribers have complaints or issues relating to the quality and/or consistency of the service they are receiving. They should raise these formally with their Service Provider in the first instance and, where this does not lead to a resolution of the problem, refer the matter to ComReg, the independent regulator for the sector.E