Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 10 March 2021
189. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the efforts being made to ensure the provision of reliable high-speed broadband to industrial hubs throughout the country in order to address communication deficiencies; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13221/21]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) State-led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in the over 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools. The deployment plan forecasts construction commenced in all counties within the first 2 years and over 90% of premises in the State having access to high-speed broadband within the next four years. Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are a key element of the NBP providing high speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll out of the fibre to the home network and currently include primary schools, community centres, sports centres, agricultural marts, industrial estates and post offices. To date most of that activity has focussed on community halls, sports centres and schools.
My Department has now prioritised primary schools with no high speed broadband and continues to work with the Department of Education in this regard. An acceleration of this aspect of the National Broadband Plan will see some 679 primary schools connected to high speed broadband by 2022, well ahead of the original target delivery timeframe of 2026.
While schools are now clearly the main focus of this element of the NBP, other locations of a strategic nature in the intervention area continue to be assessed for the purposes of this element of the NBP.
BCPs are a subset of a much wider national network of hubs. In this regard the Department of Rural & Community Development are chairing an inter-departmental working group which is seeking to enhance and promote the visibility of this national network and, as part of this exercise, are exploring the range of services that these facilities will offer.
