Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 June 2023
175. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications what steps he can take to speed up the provision of broadband services through the medium of fibre-optics throughout County Kildare with particular reference to known blackspots; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29047/23]
View answerThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) state led intervention aims 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 560,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools.
I am advised by NBI that, as of 02 June 2023, 147,159 premises are passed across 26 counties and available for immediate connection. 42,805 premises are already connected to the NBP high-speed broadband network. NBI has also advised that as of 02 June, 2,549 premises in County Kildare are passed with a high-speed fibre broadband network and available for immediate connection with 992 premises connected.
Further details are available on specific areas within County Kildare can be monitored via nbi.ie/reps. A county update can be selected to provide the overall number of premises in the Intervention Area, the overall NBP investment in the county, the number of premises passed and connected to date and the status of each of the Deployment Areas with the anticipated date for connection over the lifetime of the project. NBI has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.
Strategic Connection Points (SCPs) 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 02 June 2023, 926 SCP sites have been installed 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 Kildare all 3 BCPs have been installed to date. Further details can be found at nbi.ie/bcp-map/.
In County Kildare all 10 schools have been installed 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/.
