The National Broadband Plan (NBP) contract was signed with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) in November 2019, to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network for the 1.1 million people living and working in the nearly 540,000 premises, 100,000 businesses and farms and 695 schools within the Intervention Area. Premises within this intervention area will be served by the network to be deployed by NBI, as within this area commercial operators have advised my Department that they have no plans to deliver high speed broadband service.
There is no prohibition on commercial serving these premises. The Department has engaged extensively with industry since 2013 through multiple public consultations to determine as accurately as possible where commercial operators have existing High speed broadband networks and where they have plans over the next 7 years to deploy high speed broadband networks. The Department's High Speed Broadband Map ( available at broadband.gov.ie) shows the extent of the State Intervention area and also the areas targeted for commercial services as notified to the Department through these consultations by industry.
The NBP contract provides a mechanism for National Broadband Ireland (NBI) to apply for compensation for encroachment in the event that other commercial operators have deployed a future proofed high speed broadband service, of a fibre or equivalent high speed broadband technology, in advance of NBI's own deployment in the intervention area. This contingent subsidy can only be applied for in specific circumstances and is subject to robust governance mechanisms. The encroachment element of the contingency subsidy is capped at €100m and can only be applied for where the Department determines a commercial deployment of high speed broadband meets the requirements set out in the NBP contract, specifically a deployment of a fibre or equivalent high speed broadband technology, and that this deployment has had a negative impact on NBI's business case. The consultation on the NBP map that was carried out in the second half of 2019 in advance of contract award, which established industry’s up to date infrastructure and future plans, has significantly reduced the likelihood of the encroachment element of the contingency subsidy being sought.
