Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1154. To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the progress in relation to the provision of high quality and high speed broadband in all areas throughout the country with particular reference to facilitating the increasing number of persons working from their homes and as a result eliminating road traffic congestion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14269/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed broadband to all businesses and households in Ireland  through policy and regulatory measures by acting as a catalyst to commercial investment and by State intervention in areas where commercial investment has not been fully demonstrated.  Since the publication of the NBP,  investment by the commercial telecommunications sector has been considerable with over €2.5bn spent in upgrading and modernising networks.  As a result, today, approximately 1.4m (61%) of premises in Ireland can get high speed broadband of a minimum of 30 Megabits per second. Significant growth is anticipated over the next 2 years.  

The latest ComReg quarterly report highlights that over 65% of all broadband customers now avail of high speed broadband services  ( > 30 Megabits per second).

My Department is running a procurement process to select a company or companies who will roll-out a high speed broadband network within the State Intervention Area.

My Department has also been actively monitoring commercial plans.  As a result, the High Speed Broadband Map will be updated in the coming weeks to finalise the Intervention Area for the Procurement process, taking into account industry investments that have not materialised in Blue areas, together with new industry investments within the proposed State Intervention Area, along with concrete and credible commitments by industry for further new investments within the Intervention Area.

The finalisation of the Intervention Area is a key step in the procurement process and will help bidders prepare for the next phase.  The timeframe for the procurement continues to be dependent on a range of factors including the complexities that may be encountered during the procurement process. During stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated a 3-5 year timeline to rollout a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP.

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 and a prioritisation programme will be put in place in consultation with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

Two Regional Action Groups have been established to work with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices and other relevant agencies to help accelerate broadband rollout in rural Ireland.

The Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce has moved to the Implementation phase.  The Implementation Programme on Mobile Phone and Broadband Access identifies 19 of the 40 Taskforce actions as areas where immediate and direct action by Government Departments and State Agencies can ensure accelerated benefits to consumers. Each of the actions and Implementation Programme has its own timeframe for delivery, see Report:  www.dccae.gov.ie/communications/en-ie/Pages/Publication/Report-of-the-Mobile-Phone-and-Broadband-Taskforce.aspx.

These initiatives will assist in facilitating people working from home as well as helping to stimulate the economy, growth of jobs and new enterprise and to revitalise rural development.