Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 September 2018
611. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the reason a company will not extend a short distance to include a location (details supplied) in the installation of fibre broadband; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37325/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAccording to my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map, available at www.broadband.gov.ie, the premises referred to by the Deputy is in an AMBER area. It is therefore included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP). 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.
With regards to the reason a company has not included the premises of the Deputy’s constituent in ongoing infrastructure deployment, decisions made by private telecommunication operators relating to the rollout and siting of their infrastructure to provide high speed broadband services throughout Ireland are matter for the commercial entity and I have no statutory role or function to intervene in the commercial decisions of private operators.
For those premises currently awaiting access to high speed broadband, 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. The Department of Rural and Community Development maintain a list of Broadband Officers, a link to which is available on my Department's website at https://www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/communications/topics/Broadband/national-broadband-plan/Pages/NBP-Information-Leaflets.aspx.
