Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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757. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to improve broadband telecommunications infrastructure in an area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23565/16]

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, which is available at 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 previously indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services and includes Bailieborough in the townland of Tanderagee, County Cavan. The Department continues to monitor the commercial deployment plans in the BLUE area to ensure that those services are delivered.

The areas marked AMBER on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the target areas for the State Intervention and includes Canningstown in the Townland of Tullylorcan, County Cavan.

The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county including Cavan.  Individuals can check whether their premises is in a BLUE or an AMBER area by scrolling through the map online or entering their Eircode. The Department also has a dedicated mailbox and anyone with a query in relation to the Map should email the Department, quoting their Eircode, to broadband@dcenr.gov.ie.

Over 750,000 premises are the focus for the procurement process, which formally commenced in December 2015 with the publication of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire ( 'PQQ') and Project Information Memorandum. On 5July 2016, I announced that my Department has also identified a further 170,000 premises which are currently marked BLUE on the High Speed Broadband Map and which are unlikely to get access to services.  My Department is currently in the process of identifying these additional premises with a view to including them in the formal procurement process. 

The Department has now moved to the next stage in the procurement process.  In this Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) phase, the Department are now commencing the formal dialogue process with three qualifying bidders. The qualifying bidders will shortly be furnished with a draft contract, with detailed specifications for a quality and affordable high speed broadband network.

Following the ITPD stage, which will take a number of months, the Department will issue final tender documentation to bidders.  When final tenders have been submitted 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). The current schedule envisages contract(s) award in June 2017. 

The timing of each stage of the procurement is dependent on a number of factors including the number of bidders short-listed and the complexities that may be encountered during the dialogue process.  It must be noted that bidders will need several months to prepare their draft bids and their final formal bids and get the relevant shareholder and funding approvals at these stages of the process.

As part of the competitive process, the Department will engage with winning bidder(s) on the best rollout 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 rollout plan. A prioritisation programme will be put in place in this regard, in consultation with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. A detailed rollout plan for the network will be published once contract(s) are in place.

In the meantime, my Department continues to liaise closely with industry and relevant other Departments and agencies to assist in the commercial deployment of telecommunications networks. The commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2bn in upgrading and modernising networks which support the provision of high speed broadband and mobile telecoms services. These investments will further improve the coverage and quality of broadband and mobile voice and data services throughout the country.

The Programme for a Partnership Government commits also to measures to assist in the rollout of the broadband network once a contract is awarded.  In this regard, Minister Humphreys is leading on the establishment of county or regional broadband action groups, 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.