Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 March 2022
173. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications when the roll-out for national broadband will commence in Rockchapel, County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11416/22]
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 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, owned by a commercial operator, but cannot obtain a connection to that network. 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.
I am advised by NBI that, as of 18 February, almost 303,000 premises have been surveyed or have survey underway, with over 157,000 premises constructed or under construction across all counties. NBI has also advised that premises are connected in 16 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Laois, Limerick, Louth, Monaghan, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Wexford and Wicklow and almost 55,000 premises are available to order and pre-order across 22 counties . In County Cork surveying is underway in the Deployment Area of Clonakilty, surveying is complete in the Deployment Areas of Templemartin, Tallow, Kanturk and Fermoy, main works are underway in the Deployment Areas of Midleton and Youghal and network build is complete in the Deployment Area of Carrigaline. To date over 35,000 premises in County Cork have been surveyed, with over 10,500 premises under construction and over 4,500 premises now available to order. With regard to Rockchapel, the premises located within the Intervention Area are covered by the Meelin Deployment Area and will be delivered with high speed broadband as part of the NBP, ensuring the premises will not be left behind.
Further details are available on specific areas within County Cork 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 18 February 2022, 493 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. In County Cork 22 BCP’s have been installed to date including Glash Community Centre which is approximately 9km from the Rockchapel area. Further details can be found at nbi.ie/bcp-locations/.
In County Cork 15 schools have been installed by NBI to date 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. Further details of schools in scope are available on the NBI website at nbi.ie/primary-schools-list/.
