Seán Kyne (Galway West, Fine Gael)
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1648. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if the mapping exercise under the national broadband plan has been completed; when it is expected that a full list of all locations requiring State-led assistance will be available; the progress of the stakeholder consultation on the implementation of the State intervention; the number of submissions received to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34221/14]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The Government’s Statement of Priorities for the period 2014 to 2016 reaffirms our commitment to delivering a State-led broadband intervention in rural areas. through the National Broadband Plan (NBP) the Government aims ensure that high speed broadband is available to all citizens and businesses in Ireland. This is being achieved through measures designed to accelerate commercial investment and the development of a State-led intervention for non-commercial areas.

Under EU State Aid Guidelines Member States cannot intervene where commercial investors have plans to roll out services. A comprehensive mapping exercise is underway in my Department to identify those areas that require a State intervention. As part of the mapping process, an initial stakeholder consultation on certain technical aspects of the proposed Plan was launched in June with a deadline of 15th September. 31 submissions were received as part of this process and non-commercially sensitive versions of these responses will be published over the coming weeks.

I expect to publish the maps for public consultation later this year. These will include details of the areas requiring State intervention. A further public consultation on the proposed comprehensive intervention strategy will be launched in mid-2015.

EU State Aid clearance will be required for the proposed State intervention. My Department will be working closely with the European Commission on this important aspect of the programme.

Finally, a detailed procurement process will have to be undertaken in order to select a potential preferred bidder(s) prior to commencing the roll out of high speed broadband services.

This complex and ambitious project is a key priority for Government and for my Department. It aims to conclusively address current connectivity challenges in a sustainable and meaningful way. Our goal is to ensure that quality broadband services are available to all citizens regardless of where they are located.