Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 June 2024
83. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the details of the Copper Switch Off Working Group established with the participation of ComReg and Eir; the membership of the group; the number of times the group has met; the work programme and expected outcomes of the group; if the latter will be made publicly available; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24910/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraIreland's Digital Connectivity Strategy, published by my Department, sets ambitious targets, which include providing a Gigabit network to all households and businesses in Ireland by 2028 and access to 5G in all populated areas by 2030.
The National Broadband Plan (NBP) is the government's initiative to deliver high speed broadband services to all premises in Ireland.
The Copper Switch Off (CSO) working group is currently a bilateral engagement between my Department and ComReg but additional members may be added over time depending on issues that arise.
As Eir is the only provider of a copper network in Ireland, officials in my Department also meet with Eir from time to time to discuss its plans in relation to CSO and did so most recently in March 2024.
As CSO is ultimately a commercial decision for Eir the substance of those discussions are confidential for reasons of commercial sensitivity. It is important to note however, to ensure a transparent and orderly process, any CSO programme must adhere to the legal framework laid out by ComReg in Decision D09/23.
The work programme of the DECC-ComReg CSO working group must also be consistent with the provisions of that decision. Over the next 12-18 we expect the working group to cover issues ranging from public communications of CSO, environmental issues and customer migrations. My Department have met with ComReg on CSO once since the publication of D09/23 which was published in November 2023 and on three occasions prior to this.
There will be publicly available information in relation to copper switch off as the work in this area progresses.
