Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 November 2013
135. Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when fibre optic broadband will be provided in Tuam, County Galway; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49973/13]
View answerIreland’s telecommunications market has been fully liberalised since 1999 in accordance with the requirements of binding EU Directives. The market has since developed into a well-regulated market, supporting a multiplicity of commercial operators, providing services over a diverse range of technology platforms. Details of broadband services available in each County, including County Galway, can be found on ComReg’s website at www.callcosts.ie. The Government’s National Broadband Plan, which I published in August 2012, aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring that high speed broadband is available to all citizens and businesses including those in County Galway. This will be achieved by providing:
- a policy and regulatory framework that assists in accelerating and incentivising commercial investment, and
- a State-led investment for areas where it is not commercial for the market to invest.
Since the publication of the Plan, investments by the commercial sector are underway in both fixed line and wireless high speed broadband services, particularly in urban and semi-urban areas.
The State can only intervene to ensure access to broadband services in areas where the competitive market fails to deliver such services. In order to progress the State-led investment for areas where it is not commercial for the market to invest, a full procurement process must be designed and EU State Aids approval must be obtained. My Department is engaged in a comprehensive mapping exercise of the current and anticipated investment by the commercial sector, the results of which will inform the precise areas that need to be targeted in the State-led investment as envisaged in the National Broadband Plan.
Intensive technical, financial and legal preparations, including stakeholder engagement, are ongoing. The procurement process for the approved intervention will be carried out in accordance with EU and Irish procurement rules and it is expected that it will be launched in 2014.
This process will include a detailed specification of our requirements to deliver on the commitments in the National Broadband Plan. In designing any State-led procurement, my department will be required to comply with the EU State aid rules in relation to the technology to be rolled out. The European Commission's guidelines set out that as different technological solutions exist to provide broadband services, the tender should not favour or exclude any particular technology or network platform.
My Department is also considering the use of the telecommunications duct that was installed as part of the Tuam Town Water Distribution and Main Drainage Project.
Through the implementation of the National Broadband Plan, I am committed to ensuring that all parts of Ireland have access to high speed broadband, with a view to ensuring that all citizens and businesses can participate fully in, and maximise the benefits of, a digitally enabled economy and society.
