Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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172. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which his Department monitors the efficacy of the telecommunications sector in its entirety in ensuring that all aspects of the telecommunications sector here are in keeping with best practice internationally in terms of range, cover, quality and accessibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5157/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The provision of electronic communications networks and services occurs within a fully liberalised market, regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). ComReg regulates in accordance with an EU regulatory framework establishing a competitive internal EU electronic communications market. It is allowed to intervene in the competitive market to ensure at least one telecommunications services provider meets all reasonable requests from the public for basic telephony services, including voice telephony, fax and internet access, as basic EU universal public access rights. This obligation is currently assigned to eircom. The provision of additional or higher value communications networks and services by eircom and others is a commercial decision for each competing network or services provider. Neither my Department nor ComReg, the independent market regulator, can compel any commercial operator to provide such networks or the associated services.

Ireland continues to benefit from significant commercial investment in broadband infrastructure and services across all technology platforms. In addition, the Government's National Broadband Plan commits to ensuring access to high-quality broadband services in those parts of the country that will not benefit from the aforementioned commercial investment.