Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which high-speed broadband is available nationwide; the efforts being made to address any deficiencies identified; when it is expected that broadband services here will be on par with the best available globally; the particular issues if any impeding such provision; the steps being taken to address these; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53589/12]

Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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The Government accepts that the widespread availability of high speed broadband is a key requirement in delivering future economic and social development. With basic broadband services now widely available across Ireland, the challenge is to accelerate the roll out of high speed services.

The National Broadband Plan 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. This plan follows on from the publication of the report of the Next Generation Broadband Taskforce and a period of public consultation. Full details of these reports can be found on my Department’s website at the following link:

The National Broadband 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.

It is intended that the private sector will be the key driver of investment with potential State intervention only where the market is unlikely to invest.

The plan contains actions for: investment, demand stimulation, infrastructure barrier removal, spectrum policy, potential contribution of State entities, and policy and regulation.

This approach seeks to achieve a step-change in the level of services available throughout the country, by accelerating private sector investment through a range of actions by public stakeholders, and particularly with regard to rural areas where the State expects to co-invest with the private sector in areas where the commercial case for infrastructure investment does not exist.

During the preparation of the National Broadband Plan, the commercial market operators indicated that they expect to provide 70Mbps to 100Mbps services to 50% of the population by 2015. The areas to be provided with those services will be determined by the commercial market operators.

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. This process is expected to take at least a number of months to complete and will identify the precise areas of the country which will require State intervention to ensure that the Government’s commitment to ensure that a minimum of 30Mbps is available throughout the country.