Joe McHugh (Donegal North East, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will provide an update on the implementation of the Next Generation Broadband Programme to-date; if he will outline his plans for enhancing broadband coverage in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48905/12]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Government’s National Broadband Plan, which I published recently, aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring that high speed services of at least 30Mbps are available to all of our citizens and businesses, well in advance of the EU’s target date of 2020, and that significantly higher speeds are available to as many homes and businesses as possible.

The Plan commits to high speed broadband availability across the country – specifically:

- 70Mbps – 100Mbps will be available from the commercial market operators to more than half of the population by 2015;

- At least 40Mbps, and in many cases faster speeds, to at least a further 20% (and potentially as much as 35%) of the population during the lifetime of the Government; and

- A minimum of 30Mbps for every remaining home and business in the country, also during the lifetime of the Government.

One of the first steps in delivering on the 30Mbps and 40Mbps commitments will be the completion of a formal national mapping exercise to determine the exact position in relation to commercial service providers’ existing and planned broadband services throughout the country. Preparatory work has commenced within my Department to expedite this mapping exercise.

The mapping exercise will identify the areas of the country where there is market failure in the provision of high speed broadband services. It will also identify where the market is expected to succeed and fail in the delivery of high speed broadband over the coming years. The precise areas of the country which will require State intervention will be not be identified until that process is completed. I would reiterate however, that the Government is committed to the delivery of the speeds referred to above, to ensure that all parts of Ireland will have at least 30Mbps connectivity.