Léim ar aghaidh chuig an bpríomhábhar
Gnáthamharc

National Broadband Plan

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 March 2018

Thursday, 29 March 2018

Ceisteanna (347)

Timmy Dooley

Ceist:

347. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the national broadband plan; the date by which he plans to award the contract; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14883/18]

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. 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. In April 2017 I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map, available at www.broadband.gov.ie., which shows those areas that will be served by commercial operators and those that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

There are over 2.3 million premises in the State. Approximately 542,000 fall within the AMBER area and will be covered under the State Led Intervention. Over 1.6 million premises are in a BLUE area and are or will be covered by commercial providers, while approximately 180,000 are LIGHT BLUE and fall to be covered under ongoing rural deployment by eir.

In April 2017, I signed a Commitment Agreement with eir in relation to its plans to provide High speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis by the end of this year. eir has passed a total of 121,000 premises as of December 2017.

My Department is in a formal procurement process to engage a company who will roll-out a new high speed broadband network in the State intervention area. That procurement process is now in its final stages.

Barr
Roinn