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Broadband Service Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 8 May 2019

Wednesday, 8 May 2019

Questions (1241, 1242, 1262)

Robert Troy

Question:

1241. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of efibre broadband roll-out in an area (details supplied). [19089/19]

View answer

Robert Troy

Question:

1242. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of efibre broadband roll-out in an area (details supplied). [19101/19]

View answer

Robert Troy

Question:

1262. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the roll out of efibre broadband with regard to a property (details supplied). [19936/19]

View answer

Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1241, 1242 and 1262 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 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/Eircode:

- The AMBER area represents the parts of the country where commercial operators have no plans to build high speed broadband networks. Premises in the AMBER area will be provided with high Speed Broadband through a State Intervention.

- The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.

- The LIGHT BLUE area represents eir's commercial rural deployment plans to roll out high speed broadband to 300,000 premises as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with my Department in April 2017.

All premises referred to by the Deputy are in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map, which is available on my Department's website at www.broadband.gov.ie.

The NBP State intervention is the subject of the procurement process to engage a company to build, operate and maintain the NBP State intervention network. Following rigorous evaluation by my Department, I recently brought a recommendation to Government to confer Preferred Bidder status on Granahan McCourt, the remaining bidder in the NBP procurement process and Government has agreed to this.

The Government Decision means that it is intended to award the State Intervention contract to Granahan McCourt, subject to contract close including finalisation of financial and legal documents. Deployment of the NBP State Intervention network will commence shortly after contract signature.

In the first year of this roll-out, the Bidder will deploy approximately 300 Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) across all counties. It is anticipated that between 7 and 23 BCPs will be deployed in each county. BCPs will provide a community based high speed broadband service, enhancing online participation and allowing for the establishment of digital work hubs in these locations. A deployment plan will be made available by the bidder once the contract is signed. The Bidder is aiming to pass 133,000 premises by end of the second year of the overall deployment, with 70-100,000 passed each year thereafter until roll out is completed.

Questions Nos. 1243 and 1244 answered with Question No. 1213.
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