Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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58. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if his attention has been drawn to a legal challenge to the national broadband plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49385/19]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I am not aware of any legal challenge that has been made to the National Broadband Plan.

As a State intervention, the NBP must comply with the requirements of the European Commission’s Guidelines on the application of the State aid rules on broadband networks. The Guidelines require, amongst other things, that Member States carry out a detailed mapping exercise to identify as far as reasonably possible those areas where intervention is required.

My Department recently conducted a public consultation to close the ongoing mapping exercise and the findings of that consultation informed the NBP State aid notification. Following receipt of a positive State aid decision on 15 November, the NBP contract was awarded on 19 November.