Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for acknowledging that the NBP is progressing. More than 120,000 families in rural areas across Ireland can now have access to fibre broadband. One member of the public in Wexford wrote to me to say that she can now use her mobile home because she is connected to the network via fibre.

The Deputy's question is very specific, and it is a good one. All new-build premises in the state intervention area are covered under the NBP project agreement. NBI identifies new premises via Geodirectory updates that are added to the NBP intervention area on a quarterly basis. NBI then undertakes an assessment of the new premises and determines what is required in order for them to be connected to the NBI network in the relevant area. Depending on the outcome of that assessment process, a premises may be part of a future planned build programme or there may be additional work required to connect it if the network build has already begun. The assessment will determine the date for final connection. As an example, following an NBI assessment, approximately 500 new premises, built since the project started, will be able to place orders by 28 February. Further details are available through the NBI website, which provides a facility for the owner of any premises within the intervention area to register their interest in being provided with deployment updates through its website www.nbi.ie. Individuals who register with this facility will receive regular updates from NBI regarding progress on delivering the network and specific updates relating to their own premises as works commence. I expect that by the end of the year every premises that has been built since the project started will be able to connect to fibre. Our contract does not provide for a short timeline on this. The contract just says that within the seven years of the project deployment you have to connect. That is clearly not good enough if you are in a blue area that seems to have been completed yet you have to wait until the end. I am in talks with NBI about getting better time lines on that but in practice they are being delivered in a short period.

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