Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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29. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development if engagements have taken place or are due to take place between the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce and mobile and telecommunications providers in relation to providing alternatives for households at the later stage of the National Broadband Plan roll-out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8393/22]

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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34. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce; the 2022 meeting schedule; the expected timeframe for the completion of the work programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8392/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 34 together.

The Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce was re-established on 15 December 2021 with an inaugural meeting co-chaired by myself and Minister of State Ossian Smyth TD, involving participation from all key State stakeholders, including ComReg and the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland.

This first meeting allowed Minister of State Smyth and I to set out our priorities for the coming period. These priorities include improving mobile phone coverage in rural areas, examining issues around planning permissions and licencing for, and sharing of, telecoms infrastructure, the use of public assets for telecoms purposes and improving the quality and availability of information for consumers of telecoms services and products.

Following presentations on the policy context from senior officials from both my department and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, a roundtable discussion was held and Taskforce members were invited to set out the actions that each believe are necessary to improve telecommunications services in the state in the short, medium and long term.

On foot of that initial meeting, a series of bilateral discussions has occurred with the relevant state bodies and with representatives of the telecommunications industry. These bilateral meetings have raised a number of important issues that will be considered in the context of formulating the work programme of the Taskforce.

It is my preference that the Taskforce will meet in the first quarter of this year. At this meeting the terms of reference and a work programme will be tabled by officials. Specific responsibilities will be assigned to Taskforce members and delivery timelines will be agreed.

It should be noted that the Taskforce is not responsible for the delivery of the National Broadband Plan (NBP).  However, the Taskforce is responsible for ensuring that, where barriers within the state’s control are identified, a clear assessment is made and that action is taken. This will benefit the roll out of the NBP and also support the deployment of high quality networks by other operators across the state providing fixed and mobile data and telephony services.

Minister Smyth and I have been clear.  We acknowledge that there are challenges that will take time to resolve, but there is more that can be done now to improve services and we have challenged government departments, agencies and the commercial sector to propose creative, workable solutions.