Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 October 2011
82 Deputy Pat Deering asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the number of applications that have been received for the rural broadband scheme from persons living in the Palatine/Burton Hall area of County Carlow; and when improved broadband will be available in this area as a result of their applications. [30280/11]
View answerAlmost 5,000 applications have been received under the Rural Broadband Scheme and my Department is currently processing applications where address details need to be clarified — this is a time consuming exercise but the aim is to clear these applications over the coming weeks. On a provisional basis I can say that a total of 52 applications have been received from County Carlow and 7 of these are from the Palatine/Burton Hall area. Final numbers will not be known until all applications have been processed. Once all applications have been processed I will make information available on the Department's website on the total number of applications and a breakdown by county.
The next step in the scheme is the Verification Phase, in which the Department will give Internet service providers the opportunity to serve the applicants under normal commercial terms. Subject to agreement with the companies concerned, the Verification Phase should be carried out over the period October 2011-January 2012. We would expect that some of the applicants under the Scheme will be offered a service by these companies during this phase.
The procurement process is expected to commence in parallel to select a service provider to offer a service to remaining applicants once the Verification Phase has been completed. My Department expects to identify the preferred supplier by the end of January 2012 and pending contract negotiations a service provider will be appointed by mid-February 2012. Roll out of the service under the Scheme is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.
83 Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the efforts that have been made by him and his Department or through the appropriate Oireachtas committee to address the issue of mobile phone and data roaming charges in the Republic and Northern Ireland in recent years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30332/11]
View answerThe regulation of roaming charges is an EU competency following the publication of Regulation (EC) No 717/2007 of the European Parliament and of the Council of the 27 June 2007 on roaming on public mobile telephone networks within the Community and amending Directive 2002/21/EC. This Regulation, as amended, imposes maximum wholesale and retail roaming prices on mobile service providers and additional obligations to protect customers from bill shock.
The EU Commission in its more recent communication A Digital Agenda for Europe, published August 2010, proposes that "the difference between roaming and national tariffs should approach zero by 2015." The current Regulation is due to expire in June 2012. The EU Commission recently presented the text of a revised draft Regulation to exert further downward pressure on roaming tariffs to the Council and EU Parliament for consideration. Ireland called for the first Roaming Regulation at the Spring Council in 2006 on the grounds of protecting consumers from high roaming and supports the EU Commission's current proposal to exert further downward pressure on roaming charges, subject to further detailed scrutiny in developing a formal Regulation of the European Parliament and the Council.
