Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 May 2012
457 Deputy Paul J. Connaughton asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources when high-speed broadband is rolled out to secondary schools in County Galway, will it also be available in the local community; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25124/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe provision of high-speed broadband to all secondary schools in Ireland is being undertaken by my Department and the Department of Education and Skills, in conjunction with our network partners, HEAnet, following the successful completion of a pilot project that ran from 2009 to 2011.
The procurement of the connection necessary to deliver the high-speed broadband for each school is proceeding under an existing Framework Agreement as a commercial service. Given the commercial nature of the connection, the broadband will only be available to each individual school.
The provision of access to these connections for the wider community would not be in line with the commercial agreements that have been entered into and there would also be a number of technical, financial and legal impediments to providing wider community access under this programme.
The Government accepts that the widespread availability of high speed broadband is a key requirement in delivering future economic and social development. With basic broadband services now widely available across Ireland, the challenge is to accelerate the roll out of high speed services. The Next Generation Broadband Taskforce (NGBT), which I convened last summer, has had an important role to play in this regard.
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the Taskforce report has now been published. The report notes that by 2015, over 50% of the population will have access to high speed broadband services with speeds in excess of 70 Mbps. The report also highlights areas where Government and industry can work together to facilitate the roll out of high speed services across Ireland, and particularly in areas where the case for commercial investment is marginal. Following on the publication of the Taskforce report, I have also launched a 4 week consultation process. The purpose of this consultation is to provide further input to this important policy area. Thereafter, it is my intention to bring proposals to Government for a National Broadband Plan for Ireland. This plan will build on the recent excellent progress made and be informed by the findings of the Taskforce and subsequent consultations.
