The provision of telecommunications services, including broadband services, is a matter for private sector service providers operating in a liberalised market regulated by the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg). Broadband services are provided by private service providers over various platforms including DSL (i.e. over telephone lines), fixed wireless, mobile, cable, fibre and satellite. ComReg's website www.callcosts.ie provides detailed information on the various private sector telecommunications products and services available on a county by county basis, including County Donegal.
In cases of market failure the Government will intervene, where it is appropriate and possible to do so. The National Broadband Scheme (NBS) represents such an intervention.
EU State Aid and competition rules govern how states can intervene in areas where there are existing service providers operating. Accordingly, the NBS is prohibited from providing a service in served areas where to do so would give rise to an unacceptable level of market distortion.
In determining the Electoral Divisions ("ED") to be covered by the NBS, my Department conducted a detailed mapping exercise in 2008 of the levels of broadband coverage existing throughout the country at that time. The coverage analysis determined that of the 149 EDs within County Donegal, 52 were eligible for inclusion in the NBS on the basis of insufficient broadband coverage. The remaining EDs in County Donegal were excluded from the Scheme because it was found that a number of broadband suppliers were already active in theseareas.
The rollout of the provision of broadband services under the NBS advanced incrementally over a 22 month period and NBS services are now available throughout the NBS coveragearea.
However, despite Government and private investment in broadband, I am aware that there continues to be a small number of individual premises throughout the country that are not capable of receiving broadband services. This is primarily due to technical and other reasons (suitability of a telephone line, distance from an enabled exchange, no line of sight etc.)
The European Commission has set aside a portion of the European Economic Recovery Programme (EERP) funding for rural broadband initiatives. Using this funding, which will be augmented by an Exchequer contribution, I intend to formally launch a Rural Broadband Scheme shortly. This scheme will aim to provide a basic broadband service to individual un-served rural premises outside of the NBS areas.
Information in relation to acceptance of applications and the process of qualification under the scheme will be made available in due course when the scheme is launched.