Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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476. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the residents of Bower in Balbriggan, County Dublin, will be in a position to access high speed broadband. [22423/18]

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. 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.

The area referred to by the Deputy comprises approximately 1,878 premises and falls within a BLUE area in the townland of Balbriggan on my Department’s High Speed Broadband Map (available at www.broadband.gov.ie). The BLUE areas on the Map represent the areas targeted for delivery of high speed broadband by commercial operators.  Therefore a high speed broadband service for this area will be realised through commercial operators.  

It is important to note that telecommunications companies operate in a liberalised market and while I have no statutory authority to intervene in their day to day operations, my Department is collating information in relation to cases/areas where commercial plans to provide access to high speed broadband to premises do not materialise. In this regard and where a premises situated in a BLUE is unable to obtain a high speed broadband service I would encourage citizens to contact my Department directly at broadband@dccae.gov.ie with details, quoting their address, eircode and fixed line telephone number (if available) and details of operators they have contacted with a view to obtaining a broadband service. This information will assist my Department in identifying the areas of concern and will facilitate engagement with telecommunication operators on this issue.

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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477. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the role of his Department in the oversight of the introduction of broadband by commercial operators in rural areas. [22424/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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Decisions made by private telecommunication operators relating to the deployment of infrastructure to provide high speed broadband services throughout Ireland, are undertaken on a commercial basis by competing service providers operating in a liberalised market. The telecommunications market in Ireland is regulated by the independent Commission for Communications Regulation, Comreg.

I have no statutory role or function to oversee the commercial decisions of private operators.

That notwithstanding, my Department monitors eir’s ongoing deployment of high speed broadband to rural areas under the terms of the Commitment Agreement signed between myself and the company in April 2017, a copy of which is available on my Department's website www.dccae.gov.ie.

In accordance with the Commitment Agreement eir has committed to provide high speed broadband to 300,000 premises in rural areas on a commercial basis. Information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at . eir’s deployment milestone progress is also published on my Department’s website on a quarterly basis.

In compliance with the obligations of the Commitment Agreement, officials from my Department meet with eir on a monthly basis to review the company’s performance on certain sub-milestones. The purpose of these review meetings is for eir to report progress against sub-milestone tasks and also to identify any deployment related risks or issues and associated risk mitigation plans. These sub-milestones cover the tasks that are required to deliver high speed broadband to premises within the Planned Rural Deployment area. A detailed definition of each sub-milestone is provided in the Commitment Agreement.

Data for Q1 2018 recently submitted by eir to my Department indicates that the company has passed some 145,000 premises nationwide as part of its ongoing deployment. Eir has signalled that there would be likely knock-on effects to the 2018 milestone targets due to the severe weather impacts of both storms Ophelia and Emma.

A county by county breakdown of eir’s data for Q1 2018 will be available shortly on my Department’s website.