I propose to take Questions Nos. 1211 and 1212 together.
Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are publicly accessible sites in areas that do not currently have access to adequate broadband services. These premises will allow onsite use of high-speed broadband by the public and will support a range of digitally enabled services, not least remote work and study.
The project is a collaboration between my Department, the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, 28 of the 31 local authorities and approximately 300 community groups, sports clubs, libraries and small local businesses.
BCPs are identified by the local authorities and are assessed by my officials to ensure they will serve the public need, and by officials at D/ECC to ensure they are viable from a technical and cost perspective.
As part of the contract with Vodafone, BCP’s are provided with branded materials and a range of marketing supports. NBI also assist with this, as do the local authorities, D/ECC and my Department. These are intended to drive demand for BCP services.
Notwithstanding these supports, awareness raising of the location of BCPs and the services they offer are vital to their long-term success. Accordingly, I have made €5,000 available to every local authority to hold a County Launch, advertising the excellent work they have done to date preparing for a return to work, albeit through remote and blended working arrangements.
In April of this year it was bought to my attention that a number of BCPs had made their premises available to individual workers such as teachers, to support them during the lockdowns. They did this at no cost to the workers and did it in a safe and compliant manner. I am aware that this has a cost implication for the sites, not least for electricity use and heating during the winter months.
Under the original agreement, my Department committed to paying 75% of the ongoing connection costs of the majority of BCPs.
In April of this year I directed my Department to assume 100% of the ongoing connectivity costs for the remainder of this year. I also announced an upgrade in equipment specifications for a number of BCPs, to allow for the use of wired devices to support remote workers.
Furthermore, under the Connected Hubs Fund, BCPs and other hubs may apply for between €10,000 and €75,000 as a single applicant towards the costs of improving facilities to add remote working capacity. The total budget for this scheme is €5M. I also continue to support the employment of a Broadband Officer in each local authority at annual cost of €42,000 per local authority.
Lastly, as a development measure my Department has identified a number of activities and projects that may be delivered at BCPs. These include eHealth, education and training, remote working, and arts and culture. A number of these projects will be rolled out over the coming months. In the longer-term, I am committed to supporting the BCPs as they identify their communities’ own priorities and have pledged €1,000 vouchers for each BCP to procure courses, services and memberships of networks as they see fit.
With regard to the dates of launch of each BCP, a table is attached with the ‘Live’ date of all 188 operational BCPs. It is not possible to give projected live dates for the remaining BCPs as these are subject to a number of variables, not least access to premises and the availability of resources. Further BCPs will go live over the coming weeks and it is expected all BCPs will be fully functioning this year.
National Broadband
