Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 496: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress made to date in both updating and maintaining national broadband services, particularly in the area of Maynooth, County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23685/11]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 512: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the means by which it is expected that broadband requirements of the most modern quality are met in full in areas throughout the country over a specific period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24208/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 496 and 512 together.

The EU's Digital Agenda for Europe sets challenging targets for all member states in terms of incrementally increasing the penetration levels of broadband roll-out and subscriber take-up between 2013 and 2020. The first of those milestones is scheduled for 2013 when all Member States are obliged to have a basic broadband service available to all subscribers.

I am happy to report that between the significant private sector investments that has taken place and the targeted Government intervention aimed at addressing market failure, such as the National Broadband Scheme and the Rural Broadband Scheme, Ireland will be in a position to meet this first milestone in advance of 2013, including the areas in County Kildare mentioned in the Deputy's Question.

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 customer access to every home and business in the State. The recently-established Next Generation Broadband Taskforce has an important role, in this regard. The Taskforce met earlier this week and is scheduled to complete its work in December next. I expect that it will help to identify the optimal policy to deliver wider customer access to high-speed broadband generally and thereby assist in delivering on the commitment in the Programme for Government.

Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 497: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will give details of the use of a communications system in areas (details supplied).; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23758/11]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The electronic communications market is, and has been since its liberalisation, a commercial competitive market. Thus, the provision of electronic communications services, including broadband, is a matter for those private sector service providers, regulated by the independent regulator, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). The Government only intervenes in cases of market failure.

I understand that various private sector service providers have infrastructure in the Portlaoise and Athy areas. Additionally, a Government owned Metropolitan Area Network (MAN) was built in Portlaoise under Phase I of the Metropolitan Area Networks programme and is fully operational. The MANs are fibre optic networks mainly built in a ring formation around towns with populations above 1,500 persons.

The MANs are a "middle mile" solution meaning that they fit between the local access delivered in towns by services providers and national backhaul networks (owned mainly by ESB Telecoms, BT, eircom and others) which carry the traffic from the MANs to the central points of international connectivity in the country. The MANs are operated on a wholesale carrier neutral and open access basis meaning that any service provider can use the network without having to privately invest and replicate network footprints throughout the country. The MANs are managed, operated and maintained by e|net on behalf of the State.