Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 16 November 2021
148. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications if he will publish a detailed map updating the national broadband programme roll-out for Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown local authority area which clearly details the outstanding amber and blue areas; when the amber and blue areas will be upgraded; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55634/21]
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 over 554,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools.
In July 2019, in order to finalise the mapping exercise required under the State Aid Guidelines on Broadband and to ensure the NBP High Speed Broadband Map was up to date, my Department conducted a consultation in relation to the High Speed Broadband Map. This consultation sought submissions from operators who wished to have their existing high speed broadband networks or plans to invest in high speed broadband networks over the following 7 years to be included on the Department’s High Speed Broadband Map. The Map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan. The High Speed Broadband Map is available at www.broadband.gov.ie and is colour coded and searchable by address and Eircode. The map indicates those premises that are in the AMBER area and will be served by the new high speed broadband network being delivered by NBI on behalf of the State and those in the BLUE area that will be served by commercial operators.
Further details are available on specific areas within Dublin in the AMBER area through the NBI website which provides a facility for any premises within the intervention area to register their interest in being provided with deployment updates through its website www.nbi.ie.
My Department continues to engage with consumers and industry in relation to broadband availability. The NBP High Speed Broadband Map is dynamic. This means that the intervention area can be updated to reflect new commercial plans, or previous plans that have failed to materialise. This flexibility allows for an increase or decrease in the number of premises included in the State Intervention area, if appropriate to do so.
