Vol. 575 No. 5
131 Mr. O'Dowd asked the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources the progress to date in bringing broadband to Dundalk, Drogheda and Ardee; the timescale for the installation of broadband in each of these areas; and the progress to date with the proposals for County Louth which were submitted by the local authorities in the north east. [28745/03]
The provision of communications infrastructure and services is a matter for the private sector companies that operate in the fully liberalised telecommunications market, with reference to the direction and supervision of the Commission for Communications Regulation.
Recognising that due to a downturn in the telecommunications sector in recent years private sector companies may have difficulty in funding the major infrastructure developments that are needed for broadband delivery to the regions, the Government set aside an indicative €200 million under the e-commerce and communications measure of the NDP 2000 to 2006 for telecommunications infrastructure developments in areas where private sector investment is lacking. This investment, which is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund, is supporting a comprehensive programme of development including metropolitan area fibre networks, new national fibre trunk lines and extension of digital subscriber lines to 1.2 million telephone lines by mid-2004. Pilot projects using Wireless LAN technology are under way in a number of locations, including Ardee, to assess its suitability as a platform for the delivery of advanced broadband services in the regions. The results of these trials are expected to be available by the end of 2003.
