Dáil Éireann Debate, Friday - 16 September 2016
1688. Deputy Josepha Madigan asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when high speed broadband will be extended to Bracken Road, Sandyford, Dublin 18; the length of time this will take; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25394/16]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for Government commits to the delivery of the NBP as a matter of priority. This is being achieved through private investment by commercial telecommunications companies and through a State intervention in areas where commercial investment is not forthcoming. The formal procurement process for the State Intervention commenced in December 2015.
The High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie shows the extent of the State Intervention area:
- The areas marked BLUE, which includes the majority, represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have previously indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services. The Department continues to monitor the commercial deployment plans in the BLUE area to ensure that those services are delivered.
- The areas marked AMBER on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the target areas for the State Intervention, which are the subject of the current procurement process. Premises within this area will services of at least 30mbps when the procurement process is completed and network rollout.
The areas marked BLUE, which includes Bracken Road in Sandyford Industrial Estate in Dublin, represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or previously indicated that they have plans to deliver high speed broadband services. My officials have checked availability on Bracken Road and the result of this exercise would imply that the area in question is covered by High Speed Broadband. However, if customers on that road cannot access high speed services, I would encourage them to contact my Department directly at broadband@dcenr.gov.ie , quoting their address and Eircode, and giving details of providers they have contacted with a view to obtaining services.
While I cannot compel any operator to provide services to a particular premises, my Department continues to actively monitor the deployment plans in the BLUE area and direct feedback from consumers is important in this regard. Over 750,000 premises are the focus for the procurement process, which formally commenced in December 2015. On 5 July, I announced that my Department has identified a further 170,000 premises which are currently marked BLUE on the High Speed Broadband Map and which are unlikely to get access to services. Further analysis is being conducted on these additional premises with a view to including them in the formal procurement process. This work will conclude in the coming months and will be reflected in a further update to the High Speed Broadband Map.
The Department has now moved to the third stage in the procurement process, the Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) phase, and is now engaged in the formal dialogue process with three qualifying bidders. The qualifying bidders have been furnished with a draft contract containing certain specifications for a quality and affordable high speed broadband network.
Following the ITPD Phase, and an invitation to bidders to submit detailed proposals, which will take a number of months, the Department will issue final tender documentation to bidders. When final tenders have been submitted a winning bidder(s) will be selected for the contract which will comprise one or two lots as set out in the NBP Intervention Strategy. The Department will then enter into formal contract negotiations with the winning bidder(s), prior to awarding a contract(s) in 2017.
As part of the Department's extensive stakeholder consultations in 2015, telecommunications service providers indicated that it could take 3-5 years to rollout a network of the scale envisaged under the NBP. It is however open to bidder(s) to suggest more aggressive timescales as part of their bids. As part of the competitive process, the Department will engage with winning bidder(s) on the best rollout strategy, in order to target areas of particularly poor service, business needs and/or high demand. This will need to be balanced with the most efficient network rollout plan. A prioritisation programme will be put in place in this regard, in consultation with the Minister for Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. A detailed rollout plan for the network will be published once contract(s) are in place.
The Programme for Government also commits to measures to assist in the rollout of the network once a contract is awarded. In this regard, Minister Humphreys is leading on the establishment of two regional action groups, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once a contract(s) has been awarded.
The timing of each stage of the procurement is dependent on a number of factors including the number of bidders short-listed and the complexities that may be encountered during the procurement process. It must be noted that bidders will need several months to prepare detailed proposals and their final formal bids and get the relevant shareholder and funding approvals at these stages of the process.
In the meantime, my Department continues to liaise closely with industry and relevant other Departments and agencies to assist in the commercial deployment of telecommunications networks. The commercial telecommunications sector has invested over €2bn in upgrading and modernising networks which support the provision of high speed broadband and mobile telecoms services. These investments will further improve the coverage and quality of broadband and mobile voice and data services throughout the country.
The Programme for Government commits to the establishment of a Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to consider immediate measures to address telecommunications deficits in rural Ireland. The Taskforce, which I co-chair with Minister Humphreys, was established in July. The Taskforce is now underway and will recommend practical actions that can be taken in the short-term to improve mobile phone and broadband access in Ireland, working with Government Departments, Local Authorities, ComReg, State Agencies, the telecoms industry and other key stakeholders. The work of the taskforce will also assist Local Authorities in preparing for the rollout of the new NBP network once contract(s) are in place. I expect that Minister Humphreys and I will bring proposals to Government by the end of 2016, on foot of the Taskforce's report.
