Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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624. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if the Government has transposed the European broadband directive, 2014/61/EU, relating to infrastructure sharing, which will reduce the cost of deploying high-speed electronic communications networks; if not, when this is envisaged; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19488/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Directive 2014/61/EU on measures to reduce the cost of deploying high-speed electronic communications networks, among other things, requires operators of communications, district heating, electricity including public lighting, gas, transport and waste water networks to negotiate agreements to share their network physical infrastructure with public communications networks operators, if requested, unless there are objective reasons not to do so in any particular case.

The infrastructure sharing requirements of the Directive, and a requirement to establish a dispute settlement body to adjudicate in disputes regarding access to other networks and the terms and conditions of such access, came into effect on 1 July 2016.  My Department is working closely with the Office of the Attorney General to finalise Regulations, under the European Communities Act 1972, to transpose the relevant provisions of the Directive into national law.

The matters outstanding on the draft legislative text relate to a small number of provisions, and I expect to adopt the required Regulations in the coming days.