Willie Penrose (Longford-Westmeath, Labour)
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280. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department will provide 4G broadband via the NCTE to schools that are not on the fibre wire network (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18317/17]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 Enhancing Teaching Learning and Assessment, sets out the Department's vision for embedding ICT in teaching learning and assessment in primary and post-primary schools. A key priority of the Strategy will be to address the broadband connectivity issues experienced by primary schools owing to infrastructural deficits and the dispersal of primary schools. My Department is collaborating with the Department of Communications Climate Action and Environment on this issue, having regard to the National Digital Strategy.

Through the current Schools Broadband Access Programme, the Department provides for the supply of internet connectivity for all recognised primary, post-primary and special schools. The overall policy of my Department is to offer the best quality connectivity to all schools in line with technical solutions available in the market and within required financial parameters.

The Department has upgraded more than 1,000 school connections to fibre broadband in fibre broadband enabled areas. Under the current programme, the Department continually reviews the availability of services and upgrades schools where the opportunity arises, within the parameters of the programme and in compliance with procurement and contractual obligations. Connecting schools to fibre broadband where and when available are considered in that context.

Currently, 3G/4G services are not available on the DES Schools Broadband Network due to the fact that Service Providers cannot guarantee bandwidth and contention across their networks as outlined in the Department specification of service requirements, and generally their service comes with a restrictive download limit. Connections supplied through the Schools Broadband Network have no download limit.

The Strategy recognises the issues schools face in relation to ICT infrastructure, and funding of €210m is committed to address these requirements over the period of the Strategy. The first tranche of funding of €30m in respect of the 2016-2017 school year has been issued to all eligible primary and post-primary schools. Details of the Grant Scheme for ICT Infrastructure, including eligibility criteria and the methodology applied to calculating the payments, can be found on the Department's website at.