Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 23 January 2013
169. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the way he will, in the context of awarding State investment in cases of market failure regarding broadband provision, monitor and measure the quality and performance of the work carried out by telecommunications companies. [3464/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe provision of electronic communications services is a matter, in the first instance, for private sector service providers operating in Ireland’s fully liberalised telecommunications market, regulated by the independent regulator, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg).
The Government can intervene in the case of clear market failure. It has, in the past, undertaken, following EU State aid clearance, a number of initiatives to bring broadband to those parts of the country where operators have been unable to offer services on a commercial basis. The National Broadband Scheme (NBS) is an example of such an intervention.
My Department has well-established monitoring arrangements in place to ensure that the NBS delivers the minimum specified service or better to all users. Under the NBS contract, specific service level agreement (SLA) standards are in place, which define the service and support levels to be provided by the NBS service provider, “3”, to NBS subscribers. The NBS contract imposes a service credit regime on “3”, with financial consequences in the event that minimum specification service levels are not met. It also provides that where NBS customers do not receive the minimum guaranteed service as set out in the terms and conditions of their contract, they are entitled to service rebates.
With basic broadband services widely available across Ireland, the focus is now on accelerating the roll out of high speed services. The Government’s National Broadband Plan, which I published in August last, aims to radically change the broadband landscape in Ireland by ensuring that high speed services of at least 30 Mbps are available to all of our citizens and businesses, well in advance of the EU’s target date of 2020, and that significantly higher speeds are available to as many homes and businesses as possible.
The Plan contains specific and ambitious targets, most of which are expected to be delivered by the private sector. My Department will conduct a national mapping exercise aimed at identifying precisely the areas of the country that the private sector will invest in and those rural parts that will require State intervention to ensure that our National Broadband Plan and Digital Agenda for Europe targets are fully met.
Until that process is complete, the precise areas of the country which will require State intervention will not be known. I would reiterate however, that the Government remains committed to the delivery of the speeds referred to in the Plan and to ensuring that all parts of Ireland will have at least 30 Mbps connectivity.
Any contract subsequently awarded to service provider(s) to implement the roll out of broadband in areas which require direct Government intervention will be monitored and measured in terms of performance and quality of service.
