Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 30 May 2017
563. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated cost of ensuring that every household in the State is provided with 100 Mbps speed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25737/17]
View answer564. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated cost by county of ensuring that every household in the State is provided with 100 Mbps, in tabular form. [25738/17]
View answer568. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of milestone 2, as set out on page 28 of the commitment between a company (details supplied) and his Department to provide broadband to 300,000 homes on a commercial basis. [25749/17]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 563, 564 and 568 together.
The Government’s National Broadband Plan (NBP) outlines Government’s commitment to deliver high speed broadband availability across the country. This is being achieved through commercial investment and through a State Intervention in those areas where commercial investment has not been fully demonstrated. A formal procurement process is in train to select a company or companies who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network within the State Intervention Area. The procurement process is being intensively managed, to ensure an outcome that delivers a future-proofed network that serves homes and businesses across Ireland, for at least 25 years
The Government’s Capital Investment Plan published on 29 September 2015, includes an initial provision of €275m for the National Broadband Plan State Intervention, for the period up to 2021. The €275m represents an initial stimulus for the first years of the NBP intervention. It is likely that a higher level of funding will be required over the duration of the proposed 25 year term of the contract. The level of exchequer funding required for the NBP will only be known after the competitive tender process has concluded and bidders provide their estimates of cost and subsidy requirements.
In April, I signed a commitment agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide broadband to an additional 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. Eir has committed to concluding this work over a 90 week period, an average of nearly 500 premises per day. My Department is monitoring this rollout to ensure that eir meets its obligations under the Agreement. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department's website.
Quarterly updates will be published on the Departments website. Milestone 2, the Q1 2017 update, will be published shortly and the eir rollout is in line with the Commitment Agreement. I am advised that in the period from 1 January to end March 2017, 30,064 premises have been passed. This brings to 40,114 the total subset of the 300k premises that eir has passed since they commenced work in late 2016. Of those, over 1,400 premises have been connected.
