Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Duncan Smith. This is one of the most interesting areas. One learns so much about the infrastructure that supports our society. I look forward to working with the Deputy on this common cause.

The high-speed broadband map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie, shows the areas in north County Dublin which will be included in the national broadband plan's State-led scheme, as well as areas targeted by commercial operators. The map is colour-coded and searchable by address and Eircode postcode. Premises in the amber area will be provided with high-speed broadband through the State-led Intervention, the contract for which was signed in November 2019. Some 6,050 premises in Dublin-Fingal fall into this category.

The blue area represents those areas where commercial providers are currently delivering or have plans to deliver high-speed broadband services. Some 57,338 premises in Dublin-Fingal fall into this category.

The light blue area represents Eir's commercial rural deployment plans to roll out high-speed broadband to 300,000 premises, including in Wexford, as part of a commitment agreement signed in April 2017. A total of 194 premises in Dublin Fingal fall into this category.

The NBP network will offer premises within the amber intervention area a high-speed broadband service with the minimum download speeds I mentioned earlier and passing 115,000 premises, also as stated earlier. All counties will see premises passed in the first two years and more than 90% of premises will have access to high-speed broadband within the next four years. Design work is complete or ongoing in target townlands across 17 counties and progress is being made in serving in excess of 40,000 premises surveyed to date. I am advised that contractors are due to begin surveying townlands in Skerries in late quarter 3 of 2020. Further information on deployment activities associated with the roll-out can be found on the NBI website .

My Department is engaging with National Broadband Ireland to explore the feasibility of accelerating projects, as I said earlier. These discussions are ongoing with a preliminary position to be arrived at by the end of the summer.

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