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Broadband Service Provision

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 March 2018

Tuesday, 20 March 2018

Ceisteanna (796)

Eugene Murphy

Ceist:

796. Deputy Eugene Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when broadband service will be available under the national broadband plan at a location (details supplied). [12439/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector. Today, almost 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. Since this Government came into office almost 400,000 additional premises have access to high speed broadband. This will increase to nearly 8 out of 10 premises by the end of this year and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention.

Of the approximately 134,400 premises in Galway, already 79,000 have access to high speed broadband, with a further 16,000 to gain access by the end of 2018 as part of eir's 300k rural deployment.

The premises referred to in the question is in an AMBER area on my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie.  It is therefore included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) and one of the approximately 39,000 premises in Galway that will receive access to high speed broadband under this State led Intervention.

My Department is in a formal procurement process to select a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area in order to provide access to high speed broadband to households such as the premises in question. That procurement process is now in its final stages.

In the interim, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.  

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen.  These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities.  The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure.  There is a link to a list of these local Broadband Officers on my Department's website.  Broadband Officers may also be able to provide information on local wifi access, hot desks and other local authority initiatives that may improve access to high speed broadband in the interim period before roll out of the State led intervention.

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