Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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598. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the status of the national broadband plan with reference to the Foynes area, County Limerick, and with particular reference to Marine Cove Estate, Foynes, County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14536/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for a Partnership Government commits to the delivery of the NBP as a matter of priority. This is being achieved through private investment by commercial telecommunications companies and through a State intervention in areas where commercial investment is not forthcoming.

The High Speed Broadband Map 2020, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ieshows the extent of the State Intervention area, which is the subject of procurement. The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services. The areas marked AMBER on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the target areas for the State Intervention. The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county including County Limerick.

Based on information provided by commercial operators, significant parts of Marine Cove and Foynes will be covered by commercial operators with any remaining premises being part of the State Intervention. Members of the public can view whether their premises in  Limerick are in the BLUE or AMBER area by accessing the High Speed Broadband Map and entering their Eircode.

My Department continues to actively monitor the deployment plans in the BLUE area where commercial operators have committed to providing services, to ensure those services are delivered. I would encourage consumers and business owners  to contact my Department at broadband@dcenr.gov.ie where specific problems arise in relation to provision by commercial operators of High Speed Broadband services in the BLUE area.

Over 750,000 premises are the focus of the procurement process, which formally commenced in December 2015 with the publication of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire ( 'PQQ') and Project Information Memorandum. Five responses were received from prospective bidders to this stage of the competitive procurement process by the deadline of 31 March 2016. The five responses are being assessed in line with the criteria set down by the Department with a view to shortlisting the qualified bidders to proceed to the next stage of procurement.  

The second stage in the procurement process will be a formal invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) to short-listed bidders. I expect that my Department will move to this stage in the next month. The third stage of the procurement process involves the issue of final tender documentation which follows the dialogue process. Following the submission of final tenders by bidders, a winning bidder(s) will be selected for the contract which will comprise one or two lots as set out in the NBP Intervention Strategy. The Department will then enter into formal contract negotiations with the winning bidder(s). It is expected that contract(s) will be awarded by June 2017.

As part of the competitive process, the Department will engage with winning bidder(s) on the best roll-out strategy, in order to target areas of particularly poor service, business needs and/or high demand. This will need to be balanced with the most efficient network roll-out plan. A prioritisation programme will be put in place in this regard, in consultation with the Minister for Regional Development, Rural Affairs, Arts and the Gaeltacht. A detailed roll-out plan for the network will be published once contract(s) are in place.

The Programme for a Partnership Government commits also to measures to assist in the roll-out of the network once a contract is awarded. In this regard, Minister Humphreys will lead on the establishment of county or regional broadband taskforces, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices, LEADER Groups and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once a contract(s) has been awarded.