Brendan Griffin (Kerry South, Fine Gael)
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239. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if he will fast-track State investment in improving the rural broadband network, as rural areas are suffering serious disadvantage as a result of not having adequate broadband; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1964/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The National Broadband Plan aims to ensure that every citizen and business, regardless of location, has access to a high quality, high speed broadband service. This will be achieved through a combination of commercial investments and a State led intervention in areas where commercial services will not be provided.The commercial telecommunications sector is currently investing approximately €2.5 billion in network upgrades. Approximately 1.6 million of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland are expected to have access to commercial high speed broadband services over the next two years. These very significant investments represent a step-change in the quality of broadband services available.

On the 24 November last, a public consultation on a national high speed coverage map 2016 was launched. The map can be accessed at . The areas on the map marked Blue will all have access to high speed broadband services of at least 30mbps from the commercial sector by end of 2016. The areas marked Amber will require the intervention of the State.

The map allows all members of the public, be they business or residential, to see whether their premises / home will have access to commercial high speed broadband services by end 2016 or whether they will be included in the Government's proposed intervention. It also provides detailed information on over 50,000 townlands in every county in Ireland.

It is anticipated that speeds of at least 30Mbps will be also delivered through the Government's intervention and the network will be designed to cater for future increased demand from consumers and business.

The next steps in this process will see a further public consultation on a detailed intervention strategy in mid-2015. This is a requirement under EU state aid rules. A detailed procurement process will be undertaken in order to select a potential preferred bidder(s) towards the end of 2015. In this regard the Department will design a tender in a way that maximises efficiencies and keeps the cost to taxpayers as low as possible. It is expected that the physical build of this network will commence from 2016.

This is a large and complex project and we need to get it right. Our aim is to deliver high-quality, high speed broadband infrastructure that will stand the test of time. This requires careful planning. This complex and ambitious project is a key priority for Government. It aims to conclusively address current connectivity challenges in Ireland.