Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 15 June 2023
105. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications the progress to date in the roll-out of the National Broadband plan in counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28878/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Broadband Plan (NBP) state led intervention aims to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the intervention area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in over 560,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools.
I am advised by NBI that, as of 02 June 2023, 147,159 premises are passed across 26 counties and available for immediate connection. 42,805 premises are already connected to the NBP high-speed broadband network. NBI has also advised that as of 02 June, 3,631 premises in County Cavan and 6,242 in County Monaghan are passed with a high-speed fibre broadband network and available for immediate connection with 1,376 premises connected in Cavan and 1,922 connected in Monaghan.
Further details are available on specific areas within County Cavan and Monaghan can be monitored via nbi.ie/reps. A county update can be selected to provide the overall number of premises in the Intervention Area, the overall NBP investment in the county, the number of premises passed and connected to date and the status of each of the Deployment Areas with the anticipated date for connection over the lifetime of the project. NBI has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.
Strategic Connection Points (SCPs) are a key element of the NBP providing high-speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll out of the fibre to the home network. As of 02 June 2023, 926 SCP sites (283 Broadband Connection Points, which are publicly accessible sites, and 643 schools) have been installed and the high-speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development for publicly accessible sites and the Department of Education for school BCPs. In County Cavan all 12 BCPs have been installed with all 16 installed in Monaghan. Further details can be found at nbi.ie/bcp-map/.
In County Cavan all 19 schools have been installed to date for educational access with 19 installed in Monaghan. My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high-speed broadband, within the Intervention Area. Further details of schools in scope are available on the NBI website at nbi.ie/primary-schools-list/.
