Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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759. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he has transposed the cost of the broadband directive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30486/18]

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 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 Directive provides, among other things, for infrastructure sharing requirements 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. The European Union (Reduction of Cost of Deploying High Speed Public Communications Networks) Regulations 2016 (S.I. No. 391 of 2016) transposing these requirements of the Directive were signed into law by me on 20 July 2016.

A further provision of the Directive - to ensure that all newly constructed buildings at the end-user's location, with certain exceptions, or buildings undergoing major renovation works, for which applications for building permits have been submitted after 31 December 2016, are equipped with a high-speed-ready in-building physical infrastructure - requires an amendment to the Building Control Acts in order to effect transposition. My officials have been working with officials in the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government on the necessary measures to transpose this provision, which are now being finalised.