Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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1649. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if upgrade works on the national broadband scheme will take place in Kilmessan, County Meath. [24678/16]

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 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 formal procurement process for the State Intervention commenced in December 2015. The High Speed Broadband Map, which is available atwww.broadband.gov.ie shows the extent of the State Intervention area: 

- 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. 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 Kilmessan in the townland of Kilmessan in County Meath, which are the subject of the current procurement process. Premises in the Intervention area will get services of at least 30mbps once the procurement process is complete and the network rolled out.

The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county including County Meath.  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 5 July, I announced that my Department has also identified a further 170,000 premises which are currently market BLUE on the High Speed Broadband Map and which are unlikely to get access to services. Further analysis is being conducted on these additional premises with a view to including them in the formal procurement process. This work will conclude in the coming months and will be reflected in a further update to the High Speed Broadband Map.

The Department has now moved to the third stage in the procurement process, the Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) phase, and is now engaged in the formal dialogue process with three qualifying bidders.  The qualifying bidders have been furnished with a draft contract containing certain specifications for a quality and affordable high speed broadband network.

Following the ITPD Phase, and an invitation to bidders to submit detailed proposals, 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), prior to awarding a contract(s) in 2017.

As part of the Department's extensive stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated that it could take 3-5 years to rollout a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP. It is however open to bidder(s) to suggest more aggressive timescales as part of their bids.  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.

The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the rollout of the network once a contract is awarded. In this regard, Minister Humphreys is leading on the establishment of two regional action groups, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once a contract(s) has been awarded.

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 procurement process.  It must be noted that bidders will need several months to prepare detailed proposals and their final formal bids and get the relevant shareholder and funding approvals at these stages of the process.

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 Government commits to the establishment of a Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to consider immediate measures to address telecommunications deficits in rural Ireland.  The Taskforce, which I co-chair with Minister Humphreys, was established in July 2016.  The Taskforce is now underway and will recommend practical actions that can be taken in the short-term to improve mobile phone and broadband access in Ireland, working with Government Departments, Local Authorities, ComReg, State Agencies, the telecoms industry and other key stakeholders.  The work of the taskforce will also assist Local Authorities in preparing for the rollout of the new NBP network once contract(s) are in place.  I expect that Minister Humphreys and I will bring proposals to Government by the end of 2016, on foot of the Taskforce's report.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1650. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources if there is scope to include further exchanges as part of the national broadband scheme. [24679/16]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1658. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the previous broadband plan became re-mapped for an area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24704/16]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1660. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the attributes that determine the eligibility of a telephone exchange (details supplied) to be upgraded. [24707/16]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1687. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reason an exchange (details supplied) does not qualify for an upgrade which would improve the broadband speed in that area. [25319/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1650, 1658, 1660 and 1687 together.

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for 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 formal procurement process for the State Intervention commenced in December 2015.

The High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie shows the extent of the State Intervention area:

- The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial telecommunications providers are either currently delivering or have previously indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services. Investment decisions by the telecommunications networks providers in these areas, including the upgrading of individual exchanges are taken on commercial grounds by each network operator. As Eir is a private company, I have no statutory authority to intervene in these matters.  My Department does, however, continue to monitor the commercial deployment plans in the BLUE area to ensure that those services are delivered and will, if necessary, include additional premises in the formal procurement process where it is evident that services will not be provided by the commercial sector.

- The areas marked AMBER on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the target areas for the State Intervention which are the subject of the current procurement process.

The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county including Co Westmeath.  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, or whose premises is in a BLUE area and cannot get services should email the Department, quoting their Eircode, to broadband@dcenr.gov.ie.I understand that officials in my Department have also been in touch directly with the Deputy's office and clarified the position in relation to Passage East and will note the issues arising in the context of the mapping process.  

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 5 July, 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. Further analysis is being conducted on these additional premises with a view to including them in the formal procurement process. This work will conclude in the coming months and will be reflected in a further update to the High Speed Broadband Map.

The Department has now moved to the third stage in the procurement process, the Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) phase, and is now engaged in the formal dialogue process with three qualifying bidders.  The qualifying bidders have been furnished with a draft contract containing certain specifications for a quality and affordable high speed broadband network.

Following the ITPD Phase, and an invitation to bidders to submit detailed proposals, 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), prior to awarding a contract(s).

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 procurement process.  It must be noted that bidders will need several months to prepare detailed proposals and their final formal bids and get the relevant shareholder and funding approvals at these stages of the process.

As part of the Department's extensive stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated that it could take 3-5 years to rollout a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP. It is however open to bidder(s) to suggest more aggressive timescales as part of their bids.  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.

The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the rollout of the network once a contract is awarded.  In this regard, Minister Humphreys is leading on the establishment of two regional taskforces, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once a contract(s) has been awarded.

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 are continuing to improve the coverage and quality of broadband and mobile voice and data services throughout the country.

The Programme for Government commits to the establishment of a Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to consider immediate measures to address telecommunications deficits in rural Ireland.  The Taskforce, which I co-chair with my colleague, Minister Humphreys was established in July and will recommend practical actions that can be taken in the short-term to improve mobile phone and broadband access in Ireland, working with Government Departments, Local Authorities, ComReg, State Agencies, the telecoms industry and other key stakeholders.  The work of the taskforce will also assist Local Authorities in preparing for the rollout of the new NBP network once contract(s) are in place.  I expect that Minister Humphreys and I will bring proposals to Government by the end of 2016, on foot of the Taskforce's report.

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1651. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when work will be completed in relation to the national broadband scheme. [24680/16]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1652. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when work will commence on the national broadband scheme. [24681/16]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1659. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his views on the level of an acceptable broadband speed in the 21st century. [24705/16]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1682. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the work is due to be completed in relation to the national broadband scheme. [25313/16]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1683. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when work is due to start on the national broadband scheme. [25314/16]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1684. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when the previous broadband plan became re-mapped. [25315/16]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1685. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the broadband speed that qualifies as acceptable in the 21st Century. [25316/16]

Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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1686. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the areas of County Waterford that will be gaining investment from the national broadband scheme which is currently being undertaken. [25318/16]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1651, 1652, 1659 and 1682 to 1686, inclusive, together.

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for 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 formal procurement process for the State Intervention commenced in December 2015.

The High Speed Broadband Map  which is available atwww.broadband.gov.iewas first published in November 2014, and updated on 22 December 2015, following ongoing engagement with Industry and public consultation in line with EU State Aid Guidelines.  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. 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, which are the subject of the current procurement process.

The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county.  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.

The county breakdown for the National Broadband Plan Intervention in County Waterford is set out in the following table, with the percentage of premises to be covered by the Intervention and through commercial investment also listed. 

The Intervention Strategy available at pxsets out a detailed service specification including a requirement that the State-funded network must be capable of delivering high-quality, high speed broadband of at least 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload, available 99.95% of the time.  Together with other detailed technical specifications, these will ensure that a reliable fast service is available to consumers. In addition to these requirements, bidder(s) will be asked to put forward:

- Minimum speeds for businesses;

- Proposals to future-proof the network to meet ongoing demand for bandwidth, which will be subject to reviews on a 3-5 year basis as part of the contract(s).

I am satisfied that the speeds are sufficiently high to meet consumer demand, and that any network build will have to be capable of scaling up to meet future demand. The 30mbps target will be minimum speed rather than a ceiling for consumers.

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, I announced that my Department has also identified a further 170,000 premises which are currently market BLUE on the High Speed Broadband Map and which are unlikely to get access to services. Further analysis is being conducted on these additional premises with a view to including them in the formal procurement process. This work will conclude in the coming months and will be reflected in a further update to the High Speed Broadband Map.

The Department has now moved to the third stage in the procurement process, the Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) phase, and is now engaged in the formal dialogue process with three qualifying bidders.  The qualifying bidders have been furnished with a draft contract containing certain specifications for a quality and affordable high speed broadband network.

Following the ITPD Phase, and an invitation to bidders to submit detailed proposals, 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), prior to awarding a contract(s) in 2017.

As part of the Department's extensive stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated that it could take 3-5 years to rollout a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP. It is however open to bidder(s) to suggest more aggressive timescales as part of their bids.  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.

The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the rollout of the network once a contract is awarded. In this regard, Minister Humphreys is leading on the establishment of two regional action groups, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once a contract(s) has been awarded.

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 procurement process.  It must be noted that bidders will need several months to prepare detailed proposals and their final formal bids and get the relevant shareholder and funding approvals at these stages of the process.

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 Government commits to the establishment of a Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to consider immediate measures to address telecommunications deficits in rural Ireland.  The Taskforce, which I co-chair with Minister Humphreys, was established in July 2016.  The Taskforce is now underway and will recommend practical actions that can be taken in the short-term to improve mobile phone and broadband access in Ireland, working with Government Departments, Local Authorities, ComReg, State Agencies, the telecoms industry and other key stakeholders.  The work of the taskforce will also assist Local Authorities in preparing for the rollout of the new NBP network once contract(s) are in place.  I expect that Minister Humphreys and I will bring proposals to Government by the end of 2016, on foot of the Taskforce's report.

Peter Burke (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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1653. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the broadband plan for rural Westmeath and in particular Ballynagall Little, Coole, County Westmeath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24683/16]

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 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 formal procurement process for the State Intervention commenced in December 2015. The High Speed Broadband Map, which is available atwww.broadband.gov.ieshows the extent of the State Intervention area:

- The areas marked BLUE represent those areas where commercial telecommunications providers are either currently delivering or have previously indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services. 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 the townland of Ballynagall Little  in Co Westmeath, which are the subject of the current procurement process.

The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county including Co Westmeath.  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 5 July, 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. Further analysis is being conducted on these additional premises with a view to including them in the formal procurement process. This work will conclude in the coming months and will be reflected in a further update to the High Speed Broadband Map.

The Department has now moved to the third stage in the procurement process, the Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) phase, and is now engaged in the formal dialogue process with three qualifying bidders.  The qualifying bidders have been furnished with a draft contract containing certain specifications for a quality and affordable high speed broadband network.

Following the ITPD Phase, and an invitation to bidders to submit detailed proposals, 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), prior to awarding a contract(s).

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 procurement process.  It must be noted that bidders will need several months to prepare detailed proposals and their final formal bids and get the relevant shareholder and funding approvals at these stages of the process.

As part of the Department's extensive stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated that it could take 3-5 years to rollout a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP. It is however open to bidder(s) to suggest more aggressive timescales as part of their bids.  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.

The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the rollout of the network once a contract is awarded. In this regard, Minister Humphreys is leading on the establishment of two regional taskforces, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once a contract(s) has been awarded.

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 are continuing to improve the coverage and quality of broadband and mobile voice and data services throughout the country.

The Programme for Government commits to the establishment of a Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to consider immediate measures to address telecommunications deficits in rural Ireland.  The Taskforce, which I co-chair with my colleague, Minister Humphreys was established in July and will recommend practical actions that can be taken in the short-term to improve mobile phone and broadband access in Ireland, working with Government Departments, Local Authorities, ComReg, State Agencies, the telecoms industry and other key stakeholders.  The work of the taskforce will also assist Local Authorities in preparing for the rollout of the new NBP network once contract(s) are in place.  I expect that Minister Humphreys and I will bring proposals to Government by the end of 2016, on foot of the Taskforce's report.