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National Broadband Plan Implementation

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 24 January 2019

Thursday, 24 January 2019

Questions (44)

James Browne

Question:

44. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the position regarding the roll out of the national broadband plan with specific reference to County Wexford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3144/19]

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Written answers

The National Broadband Plan aims to ensure that every home, school and business in Ireland has access to high speed broadband. This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment across the country, and a State intervention in those areas where commercial operators acting alone are unlikely to invest. There are approximately 82,407 premises in County Wexford. Since December 2015, the number of premises with access to high speed broadband in Wexford has increased by 17,289, a 10% increase. In total, the number of premises in Wexford with access to high speech broadband is 58,379, or 71% of total premises in the county. Another 2,306 will be served by eir under that company’s ongoing rural deployment.

The remaining 21,722 homes, schools and businesses in Wexford will be connected under the government’s NBP State led intervention.

In April 2017 my Department published an updated High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan. The Map is colour coded and searchable by address or Eircode.

The procurement process to appoint a bidder for the State intervention network is now at the final stage. My priority is to bring the procurement process to a fair and impartial conclusion as quickly as possible and I will bring a recommendation to Government in the coming weeks.

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