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. Today, almost 7 out of 10 of the 2.3 million premises in Ireland have access to high speed broadband. Since this Government came into office almost 400,000 additional premises have access to high speed broadband. This will increase to nearly 8 out of 10 premises by the end of this year and by 2020, 9 out of 10 premises will have access to a high speed broadband connection. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention. Premises in the area referred to by the Deputy are in a BLUE area on my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie.  They are therefore in an area where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services.

While I have no statutory authority to intervene in the day to day operations of commercial operators, my Department is collating information in relation to individual cases where commercial plans to provide access to high speed broadband to premises within a BLUE area do not materialise.  I would encourage businesses in the referred area to provide my Department broadband@dccae.gov.iewith details of the attempts made by the businesses to access a high speed broadband connection, with a view to my Department engaging further on this issue.