Charles Flanagan
Question:73 Mr. Flanagan asked the Minister for Public Enterprise the steps she will take to assist small businesses which have no access to broadband services. [28612/01]
Written Answers. - Broadband Services.
The Government recognises the importance of telecommunications and digital industries to the economic development of the country and is committed to the development of a high quality communications and information technology sector and an environment that will further facilitate e-business and ICT industries. The Government's means for the development of the sector lies through the promotion and fostering of sustainable competition within a fair and transparent regulatory framework. In a fully liberalised market, the provision of communications infrastructure is principally the role of the private sector.
However, there are instances where it transpires that the market will not provide the investment in advanced communications infrastructure and services in particular regions. In order that rural and regional areas may be in a position to attract and promote further investment in the ICT sector, I have in recent years put in place a number of initiatives under national policy, which seek to address gaps in communications infrastructure in Ireland, particularly by bringing broadband connectivity to regional and rural areas. Under the National Development Plan, 1994-1999, 26 million – £20 million – was made available to support the roll-out of broadband to the regions. Thirteen projects which rolled-out broadband nationwide were supported and are now nearing completion.
Under the National Development Plan, 2000-2006, 200 million has been allocated to promote and co-fund the roll-out of advanced communications networks, which will act as enabling pieces of infrastructure, in rural and underdeveloped areas of the country. Nine contracts worth 56 million – £44 million – were signed with five companies in early 2001, following a competitive tender process and these projects will result in a total investment of about 170 million – £134 million – in advanced ICT infrastructure. A second call for proposals was issued in July of this year with the aim of further developing broadband communications infrastructure and services to enable the uptake of the information society in the BMW and south and east regions.
Organisations were invited to submit tenders under one of three programmes: commercial broadband roll-out projects, commercial DSL roll-out projects to areas prioritised in conjunction with Forfás, IDA Ireland and Enterprise Ireland and public projects with economic development and social objectives for which public bodies were eligible to tender. As a result of this second call, 31 proposals have been received. Twenty of these proposals are applications made by local authorities-public bodies. The other 11 are proposals from private sector companies. Although SMEs were not specifically targeted under the call for proposals, local authorities and communications companies were encouraged to discuss and consult with all local businesses and organisations before making a project proposal in order to ascertain their communications requirements.
My Department also announced a call for proposals for pilot trials of VSAT, very small aperture terminals – satellite terminals – to deliver broadband access in a number of diverse user communities around the country, which closed at the end of August 2000. The aims of the pilot project were to test the deployment of VSAT technology as a means for providing broadband access to serve diverse types of users, for example, educational establishments, the agriculture sector, SMEs and Gaeltacht regions, etc., and to assess the feasibility of providing broadband infrastructure to remote communities using VSAT technology. Contracts were signed with three organisations. With the assistance of grants awarded by the DPE these three groups are working to install and maintain 87 VSAT terminals to provide high-speed Internet access to schools, libraries, small businesses and community centres throughout Ireland.
In an additional initiative, a study was undertaken on behalf of my Department to consider options on addressing certain communications infrastructure gaps throughout the country and to promote competition and reduce the price of broadband services to business and residential users in the west of Ireland. On foot of this study, I sought expressions of interest in designing, building, operating and managing a seamless, world class, high speed telecommunications network linking north-west to south-west Ireland, with interconnectivity to existing national networks. The deadline for receipt of these expressions of interest in an Atlantic broadband corridor was the 31 October 2001. My officials are currently evaluating the expressions of interest received.
Question No. 74 answered with Question No. 52.
Question No. 75 answered with Question No. 56.