Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 20 July 2016
398. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which any initiatives are planned to address deficiencies in the telecommunications sector with a view to ensuring that all segments of the sector are up to international standards; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23089/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra399. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which he expects broadband quality and service to improve on an annual basis over the next four years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23090/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra400. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the extent to which improvements in quality and speed of broadband is envisaged over the next two years with a particular reference to County Kildare and the need to meet the requirements of customers therein as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23091/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos 398 to 400, inclusive, together.
The National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to deliver high speed services to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland. The Programme for a Partnership 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, which is the subject of procurement. The areas marked BLUE 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. The map provides information on a county by county basis with a breakdown of coverage across the townlands in every county. The Department also has a dedicated mailbox and anyone with a query in relation to the Map should email the Department, quoting their Eircode, to broadband@dcenr.gov.ie.
The county breakdown for the National Broadband Plan Intervention in Kildare is set out in the following table, with the percentage of premises to be covered by the Intervention and through commercial investment also listed:
|
County Name |
Total Number of County Townlands |
Number of Premises Covered by National Broadband Plan Intervention |
% Premises within the NBP Intervention Area |
% Premises within Commercial Operator's Area |
|
Kildare |
1210 |
20,536 |
23% |
77% |
The Government’s NBP intervention will ensure the delivery of high quality, high speed broadband of at least 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload and the network will be designed to cater for future increased demand from consumers and business.
Over 750,000 premises are the focus for the procurement process, which formally commenced in December 2015 with the publication of the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire ('PQQ') and Project Information Memorandum. On 5 July 2016, I announced that my Department has also 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. My Department is currently in the process of identifying these additional premises with a view to including them in the formal procurement process.
The Department has now moved to the next stage in the procurement process. In this Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD) phase, the Department will commence the formal dialogue process with three qualifying bidders this week. The qualifying bidders will shortly be furnished with a draft contract, with detailed specifications for a quality and affordable high speed broadband network.
Following the ITPD stage, 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). The current schedule envisages contract(s) awarding in June 2017.
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 dialogue process. It must be noted that bidders will need several months to prepare their draft bids and their final formal bids and get the relevant shareholder and funding approvals at these stages of the process.
As part of the competitive process, the Department will engage with winning bidder(s) on the best roll-out 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 roll-out 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 roll-out plan for the network will be published once contract(s) are in place.
In the meantime, my Department continues to liaise closely with industry and other relevant 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 a Partnership Government commits to the establishment of a mobile phone and broadband Taskforce which will consider immediate measures to address telecommunications deficits in rural Ireland. My Department is engaging with the Department of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs in relation to the terms of reference for the Taskforce to ensure delivery of the Programme for Government commitment.
The Taskforce will involve a number of Government Departments and agencies, as well as engagement with ComReg and telecommunications operators. My Department has already conducted a number of meetings with vendors and mobile operators to help inform the process and identify what tangible measures can be taken. I expect that Minister Humphreys and I will bring proposals to Government by the end of 2016, on foot of the Taskforce's report.
The Programme for a Partnership Government commits also to measures to assist in the roll out of the broadband network once a contract is awarded. In this regard, Minister Humphreys is leading on the establishment of county or regional broadband taskforces, working with Local Authorities, Local Enterprise Offices, LEADER Groups and other relevant agencies to help accelerate the broadband network build in rural Ireland, once a contract(s) has been awarded.
I am confident that through the combination of existing commercial investment and the State intervention, that all our citizens will have the same, if not better, access to high speed broadband services available in other comparable jurisdictions.
