Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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217. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will consider the issues raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52243/17]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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The Government's National Broadband Plan (NBP) aims to ensure high speed broadband access (minimum 30 megabits per second) to all premises in Ireland, regardless of location.  The NBP has been a catalyst in encouraging investment by the telecoms sector so that today over 65% of the 2.3m premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband and this is set to increase to 77% (1.8m premises) by the end of 2018 and to 90% (2.1m premises) by the end of 2020.In April I published an updated High Speed Broadband Map which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie. This map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high speed broadband services and the areas that will be included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan (NBP).

The Map is colour coded and searchable by address/eircode:

- The  AMBER areas represent the target areas for the proposed State led Intervention under the NBP and are the subject of an ongoing  procurement process. 

- The BLUE represent those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services. 

- The Light BLUE areas represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to roll-out high speed broadband to 300,000 premises by the end of 2018 as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April.

There are approximately 33,000 premises in Monaghan. Just over 15,600 (47%) fall within the AMBER area and will be covered under the State led Intervention. Nearly 14,000 (42%) of premises are in a BLUE area and are or will be covered by commercial providers, while approximately 3,500 (11%) are LIGHT BLUE and fall to be covered by eir's planned rural deployment.

Under this rural deployment, eir is bound to provide access to the premises included in the LIGHT BLUE areas of the Map, including the 3,500 premises in Co Monaghan.  My Department is in regular contact with eir in relation this work and will continue this engagement with the aim of ensuring the requirements of the Commitment Agreement are met. According to information submitted to the Department as of September 2017, eir has passed over 1,200 premises in Monaghan as part of their rural deployment of high speed broadband.

Concerning the letter referenced by the Deputy, decisions made by private telecommunication operators relating to the roll-out and siting of infrastructure to provide high speed broadband services throughout Ireland, including County Monaghan, are undertaken on a commercial basis by competing service providers operating in a liberalised market. I have no statutory role or function to intervene in the commercial decisions of private operators, and therefore cannot direct operators regarding infrastructure installation or delivery of services.

I recognise the importance of availability of high speed connectivity for all premises in Ireland and the frustration for communities and businesses that do not currently have access to this level of connectivity.  Delivering connectivity to the 542,000 premises that fall within the State led intervention under the NBP remains a Government priority and my Department will engage with the winning bidder(s) to ensure the most efficient deployment as part of the contract.