Timmy Dooley
Question:172. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to publish a map of broadband coverage blackspots; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7264/19]
View answerWednesday, 13 February 2019
Questions (172, 173)
Timmy Dooley
Question:173. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a deadline for the provision of high-speed broadband in dark blue areas of the national broadband plan has been put in place; if this was in place in the past; the rationale if there is no deadline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7265/19]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 172 and 173 together.
In April 2017 my Department published an updated version of the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map. This is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. The map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services (BLUE/LIGHT BLUE) and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (AMBER).
My Department monitors the deployment of commercial operators' services across the country and will continue to do so under the NBP. The NBP procurement process allows for changes to the NBP Map in the event that new commercial plans for high speed broadband are announced, or where planned commercial investment has not materialised. This process was set out in 2015 on my Department’s website before the procurement process commenced and is available at this link
https://www.dccae.gov.ie/documents/Managing%20IA%20Map% 20-%20Consultation%20Paper%20FINAL%2021-12-15.pdf).
In 2017, as a direct result of this monitoring, my Department added a further 84,500 premises to the NBP State Intervention Area where commercial investment plans previously provided to the Department failed to materialise.
I am conscious that there are premises within BLUE areas that cannot access a high speed broadband connection. Where a citizen living in a Blue area is unable to obtain a high speed broadband service, I would encourage them to email my Department at broadband@dccae.gov.ie with their Eircode and details of the service providers they have contacted and the issues encountered in respect of accessing high speed broadband.
Where commercial operators' plans for providing high speed broadband in BLUE areas do not materialise, premises may be included as part of the State led intervention in order to achieve the Government's commitment to deliver access to high speed broadband to every premises in Ireland.
Separately, and as part of my Department’s Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce, both my Department and the Department of Rural and Community Development worked with a pilot group of local authorities to identify the issues associated with mapping local mobile phone blackspots. This pilot exercise has been completed, with all local authorities having been asked to map local blackspots and identify infrastructure that could potentially be used to provide additional mobile phone coverage on an economic basis.