Kathleen Funchion on Rural Broadband Failures Hitting Businesses

I have to say I'm actually glad to see Minister Noonan taking this topic because it falls into his constituency as well so it's actually quite good he'll be aware I'm sure of the situation so there is a situation in both Carlow and Kilkenny of several businesses that are having significant issues in operating their businesses online and I just want to specifically discuss one business which is located in rural Carlow which is Sunshine Juices and they employ 50 people in the Tyner Island area in Carlow and there's been huge issues with them trying to run their business and difficulties with Vodafone and Aire over the last number of years and with the rollout of high speed broadband by NBI in the area the company were hopeful that this would offer a solution however they are listed on the NBI map as being outside the intervention area as a provider Vodafone has recorded them as receiving speeds of 30 MBPS so literally they're in a situation where their cables are going to be running past the front gate of the premises connecting homes and businesses around every side of their premises yet unfortunately they remain unserviced and just to say a very practical example which I think this kind of brings it home an example from this company is they had to send an email to the Department of Agriculture in relation to releasing oranges from Dublin Port and obviously they're in the business of juicing and because of the poor broadband the email didn't send and as a result an employee had to drive from Carlow to Dublin and they can see that their competitors are obviously having a lot more success in terms of online so it is vital for that area and just while I have the opportunity because this originally was raised with me at a meeting with Carlow Chamber of Commerce it's also come up a lot in Kilkenny particularly in the last number of months when we've seen a lot more people working from home homeschooling but Kilkenny leader but Kilkenny leader actually have a proposal for an area in Kilkenny Piltown to try and actually allow that village and town to access broadband and for it to become sort of a service that the village will run themselves that they would finance in conjunction with sort of grants and that they would actually then have the benefits they would not only have access to the appropriate broadband benefits of sort of running that nearly like the old system maybe of a kind of a co-op and I just think when I heard this it was after the Carlow Chamber meeting I just thought it was an excellent idea and not just even for Carlow and Kilkenny but I'm sure there is loads of towns and villages all throughout the country that would benefit from something like this and I think it's a really really excellent idea and I hope that if you haven't met with them and you're not aware of this that you might meet with them because it could be a solution for a lot of places thanks The National Broadband Ireland was signed with National Broadband Ireland in November 2019 to roll out a high-speed and future-proof broadband network within the intervention area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in over 544,000 premises including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools. The high-speed broadband map which is available at broadband.gov.ie shows the areas which will be included in that in the National broadband plan state-led intervention as well as areas targeted by commercial operators. The map is colour coded and searched by address and air code. The amber areas on the high-speed broadband map will be served by the new high-speed network being delivered by NBI. In order to comply with the state aid decision which enabled the contract to be awarded, NBI can only serve those premises which have been identified as amber on the high-speed broadband map. Commercial areas defined in blue on the NBP high-speed broadband map are not included. in the state-led intervention area covered by the NBP as commercial operators are already providing high-speed broadband or have indicated future plans to do so. In line with state aid guidelines, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications defines high-speed broadband as a connection with minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload. The activities of commercial operators delivering high-speed broadband with blue areas are not planned or funded by the state and the Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard as they operate as they operate in a fully liberalised market regulated by Comreg as an independent regulator. I am taking on board the points made by Deputy Function. Complaints about the service provision is a matter between the consumer and the service provider in the first instance. If this avenue has been exhausted without satisfactory resolution, the Commission for Communications Regulation may be able to assist further. Comreg is the independent body that issues licences to broadband service providers and investigates complaints to make sure that companies are delivering services in line with licence obligations. The Department is aware of a number of blue premises which are having difficulty connection to commercial high-speed networks and may continue to do so in the future. Officials in the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications are currently examining these premises and will ensure that access to high-speed broadband is made available either through commercial means or through the National Broadband Plan intervention. Where appropriate and if compliant with state aid rules, premises may be reclassified as amber on the high-speed map. Before reclassification of premises can be confirmed, it must go to a formal review process. This is to ensure that the State is compliant with state aid rules and state aid approval which enabled the contract to be awarded under the National Broadband Plan. As part of this process, when specific concerns are raised, the Department in conjunction with the relevant network operators in the blue area review the locations and ascertain definitively whether these premises will receive high-speed broadband through commercial means or not. If it is confirmed that a premises has no prospect of being served for a commercial operator, this then enables a change to the contract with MBI to add additional premises into the intervention area. The EU guidelines and the application of state aid rules in relation to the rapid deployment of broadband networks seeks to ensure by 2020 all Europeans to have access to above 30 MB per second in line with the Digital Agenda for Europe initiative. I understand that the European Commission are currently reviewing the cut-off speed as part of the review of the state aid guidelines for broadband. I understand that with all of these things, when you ask a parliamentary question for a written answer, they are sort of a standard answer. But just regarding the review process, is that genuinely a real situation? Like, has there been successful outcomes to that or is it sort of a review process in the hope that it just kind of kicks the whole situation down the road? That is why I mentioned the initiative by Kilkenny Leader, because I do think it is a possible solution, not just in this situation, but for lots of places. And I think we need to be looking at real and proper solutions like that, that can actually work for rural towns and villages, because this situation is only going to get worse in the sense that we are going to have more people now working from home, which is a welcome thing because it can be very helpful for a lot of people. But it is not an option for a huge amount of people, because they just do not have the proper broadband. And even that company that I refer to, Sunshine Juices, in one situation they were told to purchase a dongle. You know, I mean, like that would not even really do for your kind of standard home use of broadband. So, like, they are not, you know, kind of adequate answers for Vodafone or AIR or anybody to be telling a company, particularly when, you know, we are trying to keep people in rural communities, we are trying to keep jobs in rural communities. And they have had to push, kind of, you know, the possibility of expanding their company on hold to see what is going to happen, you know, with the broadband. So, just, I would like if possible to get more information, not, I don't mean right now, but in writing even, regarding the review process and how they actually go about that. And also just what have been the successful outcomes, even if there is a percentage breakdown, you know, do people have a 50% success rate, and just exactly how that process is run. And then also, if I can send on the information, which you may have already, but just in relation to that initiative by leader, because I think that could be a good solution for the department as well. Thanks. Thank you very much, Deputy. Again, I am familiar with the community-led initiative. I think it is called BlueTown initiative. I was on the Director of Geekind Leader Partnership at the time we were developing it. And I think it is a very viable prospect. I will have to double-check the programme for government. We may have secured inclusion of that, of an objective in developing BlueTown for non-NVP areas. And I think there is real potential in that. And I think the Leekind Leader Partnership had piloted or were intending on piloting a scheme in Piltown. And that would cover some of those areas not covered either by commercial operators or by NVP areas. And it has a huge benefit because it is community-owned. It is community-led. It is a cooperative type approach. And I think it is something that we should be given serious consideration to. It is something I would be happy to take back to the department. And I have, like yourself, met with Carlo Chamber in relation to this. There is no doubt it is a significant impact on small businesses if they are being bypassed by either commercial or the NVP broadband plan. I think that is a significant challenge to the operation of their business. As we have seen, businesses are moving everything online now. And you have to have both an online and an on-street presence with a lot of retail as well. So it is hugely important we try and resolve it. I certainly will take back the issue in relation to the review process as well, Deputy. But, again, I want to reiterate, I think the opportunity around the Blue Town initiative and the community-owned broadband is something that should be given real consideration. Go raibh maith agat.