National Broadband Plan Consultations Archive

Further to the announcement on 25 April 2014 by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources in relation to the proposed State-led intervention under the National Broadband Plan, interested stakeholders were invited to participate in a Call For Input (CFI) on key aspects of the intervention. This process provided stakeholders with the opportunity to submit views in advance of finalising the detailed strategy for the State-led intervention.

This consultation closed at 5pm on Monday 15 September 2014.

On 24 of November 2014, we launched a public consultation to get the views of citizens, stakeholders and representative bodies on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) mapping exercise.

The key questions asked were:

• the accuracy of the map and how it has been developed
• the proposed changes to the Next Generation Access (NGA) assessment criteria following the Call for Input in June 2014 which were used to develop the map
• the most appropriate process to capture any changes or updates to NGA coverage arising over time;
• what should be deemed a strategic connection point for the purposes of Connecting Communities, for example schools and hospitals
• invites further submissions of mapping data from operators who have planned to deploy high speed broadband services

This consultation closed on 12 February 2015.

In March 2015 the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources issued a request for supplementary information to operators on their Next Generation Access (NGA) broadband plans up to the end of 2020. This information helped us to understand where broadband services were available and where they were being planned in the future. This allowed us to understand the areas that were likely to require intervention by the State. The Department re-issued the map in December 2015 with an up-to-date view, of various operators' plans.

This consultation closed in December 2015.

The purpose of this public consultation was to seek the views of industry, stakeholders and members of the public, on the detailed measures proposed in the draft intervention strategy, published on 15 July 2015, and on the expert reports that supported it. The draft strategy set out how the government proposed to ensure high-speed broadband was to be delivered in areas where commercial investment was not viable.

The public consultation closed on 25 September 2015.

The purpose of this public consultation was to seek the views of industry, stakeholders and members of the public on the process proposed to manage the High Speed Broadband Map.

Our High Speed Broadband Map and any changes made to it in the future could have an impact on the ability of bidders to prepare bids for a public procurement. This is because the number of homes and businesses in the Intervention is critical to any bid.

This consultation documentation set out the proposed approach to managing the High Speed Broadband Map as current and future commercial plans are taken into account. It is important that stakeholders are clear at all times on the planned Intervention Area, and how this area may change through the procurement process and during the rollout of the high speed broadband network. This should also provide the assurance that any aid granted by the State is granted only to those premises that require State funding for the roll out of high speed broadband.

Since 2013 we have been engaging with operators to develop the High Speed Broadband Map. The map identifies areas where there are concrete plans to roll out high speed broadband on a commercial basis. Such areas will be excluded from the proposed State intervention. Over the past eighteen months we have assessed the financial, technical and deployment details of the investment plans of commercial operators to assess their credibility, consistent with the State Aid Guidelines. In the interests of full transparency, we published the process we have adopted to assess commercial high speed broadband investment plans.

Submissions received were carefully considered with a view to finalising the process for managing the High Speed Broadband Map and proceeding to formal procurement.

The consultation closed on 11 November 2015.

In accordance with European and national law, the department undertook a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Appropriate Assessment (AA) of the National Broadband Plan – Intervention Strategy.

SEA is a process by which environmental considerations are integrated into the preparation of plans and programmes prior to their completion. It derives from Directive 2001/42/EEC which has been transposed into Irish law through the European Communities Environmental Assessment of Certain Plans and Programmes Regulations (S.I. 435 of 2004 as amended by S.I. 200 of 2011) and the Planning and Development (Strategic Environmental Assessment) Regulations (S.I. 436 of 2004 as amended by S.I. 201 of 2011). As part of this process the Department commissioned an environmental report to assess the environmental impacts the Intervention Strategy was likely to have, and proposed measures to mitigate any such impacts.

The EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC) obliges member states to undertake an 'appropriate assessment' (AA) for any plan or project which may have a likely significant effect on the protection, conservation and management of the habitats and species of conservation interest in all European Sites which include Special Areas of Conservation, designated under the Habitats Directive and Special Protection Areas, designated under the EU Birds Directive (2009/147/EC). The provisions of the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), as they pertain to the Intervention Strategy have been transposed into Irish law through the Birds and Natural Habitats Regulations, 2011 (S.I. 477 of 2011). The Department commissioned a Natura Impact Statement (NIS) as part of the AA process to ascertain if the Intervention Strategy could significantly impact on any site designated for conservation. The NIS also proposed measures to mitigate any adverse impacts.

The purpose of this consultation was to invite observations on both these reports and how the findings should be integrated into the Intervention Strategy itself.

The department also used this opportunity to consult on the High Speed Broadband map.

This consultation closed on 9 February 2018.

On 7 May 2019, government approved the appointment of Granahan McCourt as Preferred Bidder in the National Broadband Plan State intervention. The government decision meant that it was intended to award the State intervention contract to National Broadband Ireland. This was the final step in the State's National Broadband Plan ('NBP') procurement process before a contract was awarded and deployment began in the Intervention Area.

Since 2013, the department engaged in an extensive process of mapping broadband availability in Ireland in order to identify areas which have no existing or planned Next Generation Access (NGA) networks. At this point, it was now important to give the department certainty with respect to the scope of the Intervention Area. Therefore, following this consultation, the department would conclude its mapping exercise and confirm the scope of the Intervention Area for the purposes of the deployment.

Through this consultation, the department sought submissions from network owners or operators that have either:

1. an existing NGA network that is not currently represented on the NBP Map and wishes to have that network represented on the NBP Map, or

2. new and substantive NGA network investment plans in the Intervention Area that will be implemented over the next 7 years which would pass the technical, deployment and financial criteria applied by the Department and who would be prepared to enter into legally binding commitment agreement to deliver such investment plans

3. whether particular barriers exist in deploying NGA networks to premises and if so, to clearly set out what these are and propose solutions on how these issues could be resolved absent State Aid

The department also invited retail service providers, premises owners or consumers of broadband services that reside in areas marked as Blue or Light Blue on the NBP Map to submit information in particular on the following:

1. where they cannot secure access to NGA services from any service provider in their area, details of any correspondence with service providers where broadband services were requested, the Eircode of their premises and any other relevant information

2. whether they have experienced any issues in placing orders, or getting orders/connections implemented for confirmed orders placed to connect premise(s) with an NGA service

Stakeholders were also invited to submit other comments or observations which do not fall under the above mentioned categories.

It was not expected that there would be a material change to the broadband map in terms of numbers of premises. Notwithstanding any adjustments to the Map deemed appropriate by the department following this consultation, up or down, the capped subsidy submitted by Granahan McCourt and approved on the 7 May by Government, could not increase, it could only decrease.

In accordance with Article 3.2 of the EU Guidelines for the Application of State Aid Rules in relation to the Rapid Deployment of Broadband Networks concerning public consultation, Member States should give adequate publicity to the main characteristics of the measure and to the list of target areas by publishing the relevant information of the project and inviting comment.

This consultation closed on 30 September 2019.