Written answers
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources
Broadband Services Provision
Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the broadband service will be upgraded in County Tipperary (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16779/13]
Tom Hayes (Tipperary South, Fine Gael)
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To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the broadband service will be upgraded in County Tipperary (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16785/13]
Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 736 and 737 together.
Ireland’s telecommunications market has been fully liberalised since 1999 in accordance with the requirements of binding EU Directives. The market has since developed into a well-regulated market, supporting a multiplicity of commercial operators, providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. Details of broadband services available in each County, including County Tipperary, can be found on ComReg’s website at www.callcosts.ie.
The State can only intervene to ensure access to broadband services in areas where the competitive market has failed to deliver such services, as in the case of the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) and the Rural Broadband Scheme. NBS services are available within 50 of the 177 Electoral Divisions in County Tipperary and I have attached a list of these Electoral Divisions.
With basic broadband services widely available across Ireland, the focus is now on accelerating the roll out of high speed services. The Government’s National Broadband Plan, which I published in August last, 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.
During the preparation of Ireland’s National Broadband Plan, the commercial market operators indicated that they expect to provide 70Mbps to 100Mbps services to 50% of the population by 2015. Since the publication of the Plan, investments by the commercial sector are underway in both fixed line and mobile high speed broadband services, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas.
The Government is also committed in the Plan to investing in areas where high speed services are not commercially viable and will not be provided by the market. In an important milestone towards delivery of this commitment in the Plan, my Department has identified, following the evaluation of tender responses to a request for experts, the preferred bidder to assist in the design, planning and procurement of the State-led investment. Intensive technical, financial and legal preparations including stakeholder engagement will be ongoing throughout 2013 with a view to the launch of a procurement process in 2014.
Through the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, we are committed to increasing the availability of next generation speeds significantly, with a view to ensuring that all citizens and businesses can participate fully in a digitally enabled society.
I would reiterate that the Government remains committed to ensuring that all parts of Ireland, including all of County Tipperary, will have at least 30Mbps connectivity, through public or private sector investment, as outlined in the National Broadband Plan.
Electoral Divisions (ED) Covered by the NBS in County Tipperary
ED NameED Reference No.
ABINGTON AGHNAMEADLE ARDFINNAN BALLYCAHILL BALLYCARRON BALLYGRIFFIN BALLYLUSKY BORRISOKANE BRUIS BURNCOURT CARRIG CLOGHER CLOGHPRIOR CLONBEG CLONEEN COOLAGARRANROE CULLEN CURRAHEEN DERRYGRATH DOLLA EMLY FINNOE FOILNAMAN GARRANGIBBON GLENGAR GOLDEN GORTKELLY INCH KILBARRON KILCORAN KILLAVINOGE KILLEENASTEENA KILNANEAVE KILPATRICK LACKAGH LATTERAGH LATTIN MOYALIFF OUGHTERLEAGUE POYNTSTOWN RODUS SHRONELL TEMPLEDERRY TEMPLETOUHY TERRYGLASS THOMASTOWN TIMONEY TUBBRID TULLAGHMELAN TWO MILE BORRIS | ED 217001 ED 217002 ED 217006 ED 217013 ED 217014 ED 217017 ED 217019 ED 217030 ED 217034 ED 217037 ED 217043 ED 217049 ED 217051 ED 217053 ED 217054 ED 217060 ED 217063 ED 217064 ED 217066 ED 217067 ED 217072 ED 217075 ED 217076 ED 217078 ED 217079 ED 217081 ED 217082 ED 217088 ED 217090 ED 217095 ED 217100 ED 217102 ED 217108 ED 217110 ED 217117 ED 217118 ED 217119 ED 217131 ED 217142 ED 217144 ED 217151 ED 217153 ED 217155 ED 217158 ED 217159 ED 217160 ED 217163 ED 217167 ED 217168 ED 217171 |
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