Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 March 2018
280. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the date for the roll-out of high speed broadband for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13088/18]
View answerThe Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location. The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today, almost 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. This will increase to nearly 8 out of 10 premises by the end of this year and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention.
The premises referred to by the Deputy are in an AMBER area on my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie.
They are therefore included in the State Intervention Area under the NBP.
My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now in its final stages.
In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.
Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen. These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities. The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure. There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website. Broadband Officers may also be able to provide information on local wifi access, hot desks and other local authority initiatives that may improve access to high speed broadband in the interim period before roll out of the State led intervention.
