Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 October 2011
305 Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the reason he is unable to provide adequate broadband speed to a person (details supplied) in County Tipperary; if it is envisioned that this service will be improved in the near future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28251/11]
View answerThe area of Ballypatrick, Bouladuff, is covered by the National Broadband Scheme (NBS). The NBS contract guarantees service levels and imposes a service credit regime on "3" with financial consequences in the event that minimum specification service levels are not met. My Department and its external consultants actively monitor coverage within the NBS areas.
Currently, the minimum download speed available to NBS broadband customers is 1.6Mbps and the minimum upload speed is 1.2Mbps, with a maximum contention ratio of 22:1. A further contractual upgrade will take place in October 2012, which will increase the minimum download speed to 2.3Mbps and the minimum upload speed to 1.4Mbps, with a maximum contention ratio of 18:1. Any NBS customer experiencing problems with the NBS service can contact 3’s customer care centre 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by phone at 1913 (free of charge). Additionally, a team of field engineers has been established to address NBS specific maintenance issues at customer’s premises.
My Department has a role when customers have fully utilised the established complaints process. It operates a dedicated NBS mailbox, which NBS customers can contact by email at nationalbroadbandscheme@nbs.ie with any comments or complaints they may have about their NBS service.
