Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 April 2018
461. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if broadband will be rolled out in Ballymore, County Westmeath, in autumn 2018; and the timeframe that has been previously confirmed in terms of the national broadband plan roll-out. [17567/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI refer the Deputy to the below reply to Question No. 1199 of 17 March 2018.
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. eir has committed to completing this roll-out by the end of this year. Information on eir's ongoing rural deployment is available at http://fibrerollout.ie/eircode-lookup/. A copy of the Commitment Agreement is available on my Department’s website www.dccae.gov.ie.
Quarterly updates on eir's rural deployment are published on this website. eir has passed a total of 121,000 of the committed premises as of December 2017. This figure includes 2,750 premises in Westmeath passed to date, with a further 4,000 to follow this year.
As the Deputy will be aware, my Department's High Speed Broadband Map (www.broadband.gov.ie) shows that 99% (134 premises) of the townland of Ballymore, County Westmeath are to receive access to a high speed broadband connection via eir’s ongoing rural fibre deployment. According to eir's own estimate, the premises in Ballymore within their deployment plan are due to be passed in the second half of 2018.
A further 1% (2 premises) of the townland will receive access to high speed broadband via the 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. 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.
