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National Broadband Plan Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 21 November 2019

Thursday, 21 November 2019

Ceisteanna (188, 190, 191, 192, 193, 194, 195, 196)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

188. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide time for a special debate in Dáil Éireann in advance of signing contracts in respect of the national broadband plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48313/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

190. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to contact and or follow-up the groups that made submissions to the mapping consultation that closed on 30 September 2019 in the context of the NBP and intervention areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48428/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

191. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will address a matter regarding state aid (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48436/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

192. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the material changes to the intervention area since the mapping exercise commenced; the number of premises added to the intervention area; the number of premises removed from the intervention area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48437/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

193. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the breakdown of premises removed from the intervention area by operator type, that is, fixed line, cable, mobile, fixed wireless and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48438/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

194. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if there has been a minimum number of premises for the project discussed and or set between his Department and a company (details supplied); if so, the figure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48439/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

195. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to sign-off on the national broadband contract plan ahead of the current mapping exercise being completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48440/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

196. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the NBP will be set as a fixed-cost project; if it is future-proofed to account for inflation, overruns and or unforeseen obstacles and or costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48441/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 188 and 190 to 196, inclusive, together.

The National Broadband Plan (NBP) has been debated extensively in the Dáil, as recently as 23 October 2019. As a State intervention, the NBP must comply with the requirements scheduling of the European Commission’s Guidelines on the application of State aid rules for broadband networks. The Guidelines require, amongst other things, that Member States carry out a detailed mapping exercise to identify as far as reasonably possible those areas where intervention Dáil business is required.

Since July 2013, the Department has engaged in an extensive process of mapping broadband availability in Ireland in order to identify premises requiring State intervention. The mapping exercise has been supported by a number of public consultations which have elicited significant response from industry and the public. The most significant changes to the NBP Map took place in 2017. The Department added a further 84,500 premises to the Intervention Area where commercial investment plans previously provided to the Department had failed to materialise. The update also removed 300,000 premises from the intervention area on the basis of what was then a planned infrastructure build, that eir entered into a Commitment Agreement in respect of.

Having consulted with industry on an ongoing basis, my Department recently conducted a final public consultation to close the mapping exercise in advance of the award of the NBP contract. Over 180 submissions were received from a variety of stakeholders, including 30 from large and small commercial telecommunications operators, with the remainder from local authority broadband officers and members of the public.

Following evaluation of the submissions and receipt of a positive State aid decision on 15 November, responses have been issued to the submissions from the commercial operators. Having evaluated the submissions received, approximately 38,000 premises were removed from the intervention area as commercial operators provided evidence that these premises can now access a high speed broadband service from an existing network. These premises relate to network deployment detailed in submissions received from eir and SIRO, that were evaluated as meeting the assessment criteria published by the Department.

In addition, approximately 37,000 premises originally identified as being served by commercial operators have now been included in the intervention area matter for the NBP, as commercial operators plans to serve these premises have not materialised. The map has also been updated for approximately an additional 2,000 premises identified in the latest Ordinance Survey Ireland data. The final Intervention Area now covers 537,596 premises.

The NBP contract, which was signed on 18 November, provides that the future proofed high speed broadband network to be deployed by National Broadband Ireland will also pass and connect new premises built in the intervention area over the next 25 years. While a download speed threshold of 30Mbps applied in the mapping process as a requirement, the tender submitted by National Broadband Ireland committed to a network that will initially provide services of 150Mbps to the majority of homes and up to 1Gbps to heavy data users and Small and Medium size Enterprises. There will be an upgrade pathway for the 150Mbps broadband product for consumers to 300Mbps by year 6 of the rollout and to 500Mbps by year 10. The 1Gbps product for businesses will also upgrade to 2Gbps by year 11.

These commitments are reflected in the NBP contract and will ensure that people living and working in rural areas, will have access to a similar quality of broadband service to people living and working in urban areas. The maximum possible investment by the State under the National Broadband Plan is capped at €2.977 billion over 25 years. This includes €480m for contingency costs and €354m in VAT.

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