Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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250. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the Exchequer spending on broadband provision to homes and businesses by his Department in each year from 2011 to 2014 and in 2015 to date; the number of connections achieved each year; the broadband speeds achieved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24179/15]

Alex White (Dublin South, Labour)
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The State only becomes involved in investing in the provision of broadband services in instances of clear market failure such as in the case of the National Broadband Scheme. Such interventions require EU clearance to ensure that the State’s investment does not adversely distort competition.

Under the former National Broadband Scheme (NBS), which expired in August 2014, some 58,000 premises availed of a basic broadband service from 3 Ireland. The minimum specifications of the NBS mobile wireless service improved over the duration on the contract and with effect from October 2012 offered minimum download and upload speeds of 2.3Mbps and 1.4Mbps respectively, subject to a maximum contention ratio of 18:1. The NBS satellite service, which was utilised in a small number of cases for technical reasons associated with the location of the premises, offered minimum download and upload speeds of 3.6Mbps and 384 kbps respectively, subject to a maximum contention ratio of 48:1. The total payments to 3 Ireland under the National Broadband Scheme between 2011 and 2014 were €9.65m.

With the completion of the NBS, Ireland achieved the first of the milestones set down in the EU’s Digital Agenda for Europe i.e a basic broadband service to be available to all citizens by 2013. The focus is now on fast tracking the roll out of high speed services through the National Broadband Plan (NBP). The Government’s NBP intervention will ensure the availability of quality future proofed broadband services to all other parts of the country.

This Plan aims to ensure that high speed broadband will be available to all citizens and businesses. The Plan will deliver on targeted areas by leveraging investment from both private and public sectors.

In 2012, when the NBP was first published, industry had committed to providing next generation access connectivity to some 1 million addresses by 2015. This target has already been significantly exceeded. The draft Intervention Strategy will be published for public consultation next month and I hope to move to formal procurement towards the end of this year in order to select a preferred bidder or bidders. I expect the physical build of the network to begin in late 2016, and it will take 3-5 years to fully complete – depending on the details of the bid or bids selected. This complex and ambitious project is a key priority for Government. It aims to conclusively address current connectivity challenges