Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 25 January 2022
170. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when high-speed broadband will be available in the Walterstown, Nurney area of County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2968/22]
View answer171. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when high-speed broadband will be available in the Ellistown area of County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2969/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 170 and 171 together.
The 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 554,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools.
I appreciate people's frustration when they are living close to a fibre network but cannot get a connection to that network, particularly given the heightened importance of connectivity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The NBP will ensure that in all such cases a future proofed high speed broadband network will be built to serve these premises and work to deliver on this is underway. Despite the unprecedented challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, National Broadband Ireland has made steady progress on delivery of the new high speed fibre broadband network under the National Broadband Plan with over 290,000 premises surveyed or with survey underway and over 154,000 premises constructed or under construction across all counties. NBI has also advised that premises are connected in 11 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Limerick, Louth, Monaghan, Roscommon and Tipperary and over 54,000 premises are available to order and pre-order across 21 counties, as of 14 January. There are over 97,000 premises in County Kildare of which over 83,000 are in the commercial area and over 14,000 are within the NBP Intervention Area.
I am advised by NBI that, over 7,000 premises in County Kildare have been surveyed with over 1,200 premises available for order or pre order. Surveying is complete in the Deployment Area of Donadea. Surveying is also complete in the Curragh Camp Deployment Area which includes premises located in the Walterstown and Ellistown Intervention Areas, ensuring that these premises will be delivered with high speed broadband under the NBP. Further details are available on specific areas within County Kildare 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. Individuals who register with this facility will receive regular updates on progress by NBI on delivering the network and specific updates related to their own premises as works commence. NBI has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.
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. As of 14 January, 453 BCP sites have been installed by NBI and the high speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development for publicly accessible sites and the Department of Education for school BCPs. BCP’s are installed in County Kildare at Crookstown Further Education and Training and Community Centre, Bigstone Community Hall, and Lullymore Heritage Park. Further details can be found at nbi.ie/bcp-locations/.
Rathmore National School, and Saint David's National School have been installed by NBI for educational access. My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high speed broadband, within the Intervention Area, for connection over the term of the NBP. Further details of schools in scope are available on the NBI website at nbi.ie/primary-schools-list/.
