Tracing the Irish State's National Broadband Intervention Process: The hidden complexities of the Mapping Process Revealed

Abstract

For the majority of people living in Europe, having access to reliable high speed broadband services is very much the norm. This is typically the case in urban and suburban locations and in fact in most towns and large villages across Europe. Broadband Service Providers target more densely populated locations, they offer consumers a variety of different broadband products and will periodically upgrade their networks to keep pace with consumer demand and stay competitive.

Unfortunately, this is very much `not the norm' for an enormous number of European citizens living in more rural, less densely populated areas. In fact, in 2023 the European Commission reported that over 32% of rural areas across Europe still did not have access to any high-speed broadband services at all. Addressing this digital divide has been a key priority for political leaders across Europe for over a decade but despite this political focus, this digital divide continues to persist. It is generally accepted that Service Providers, (these are commercial operators who provide retail and/or wholesale broadband services to their customers, herein referred to as `Service Providers'), will cover the majority of premises across any given State, however Governments must intervene to ensure high speed broadband services are brought to those most difficult to reach premises where commercial operators will not cover. However, EU Member States must adhere to State Aid rules and gain State Aid Approval before they can actually intervene in the broadband market. As demonstrated through my research, a fundamental part of this State Aid Approval exercise is the `Mapping Process'. The Mapping Process identifies the locations which will be part of any State's intervention. This process is both scientifically and politically challenging, it is highly contentious and has far reaching consequences for a wide range of stakeholders. Typically, the Mapping Process is the lengthiest part of the State Aid Approval process, undertaken over several years. Therefore, if solutions can be found to speed up this Mapping Process, then the whole State Aid Approval exercise will be fast tracked and ultimately EU Member State's interventions in the market will be accelerated.

This research sets out to highlight the issues and identify solutions by leveraging the experience gained through the State Aid Approval exercise undertaken in Ireland as part of the Irish State's National Broadband Plan. The research reveals when the Mapping Process is needed and for what purpose; it then outlines what is needed to design and implement a Mapping Process effectively. By conducting a detailed academic analysis of a real-life project and systematically identifying the necessary steps that were involved, the research identifies recommendations to deliver both improvements and efficiencies. The findings will be of great benefit to the EU Commission, EU Member States and the respective Government agencies who are tasked with undertaking future Mapping Processes. Ultimately it will help them gain State Aid Approval for their projects faster than ever before. This is the key to ensuring all citizens across Europe gain access to high-speed broadband services at the earliest opportunity possible.

Some of the learnings from this research could also be of relevance in other sectoral policy areas where EU Member States are proposing to intervene in what are generally fully liberalised markets. What will be explained throughout the thesis is that the Mapping Process is fundamentally about accurately describing the state of a market in circumstances where the market is continually evolving. This is true of other markets. Lessons from how Ireland successfully addressed this challenge could be of help in other sectors.