Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

406. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if the Cumminstown area is included in the broadband roll-out proposed for the Ballynacargy area of County Westmeath. [38451/18]

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

According to my Departments High Speed Broadband Map, available atwww.broadband.gov.ie,there are 19 premises in the townland of Cumminstown in the Ballynacarrigy area, Co Westmeath.

Of these premises 2 are in the AMBER area of the map, and 17 are in the LIGHT BLUE area.

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. My Department received the Final Tender submission from the bidding consortium on 18 September 2018. This is a significant milestone as the NBP procurement process enters its final stage.

LIGHT BLUE areas of the map represent eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with me in April 2017. Individuals can check which category their premises falls into by going to my Department’s website www.broadband.gov.ie and entering their eircode into the High Speed Broadband Map. Further information on eir's planned rural deployment is available at . A copy of the Commitment Agreement underpinning eir's rural deployment plan is also available on my Department’s websitewww.dccae.gov.ie.

For those premises currently awaiting access to high speed broadband, practical initiatives will continue to be addressed through the work of the Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce to address obstacles and improve connectivity in respect of existing and future mobile phone and broadband services.

Under this Taskforce, engagement between telecommunications operators and local authorities through the Broadband Officers is continuing to strengthen. These Broadband Officers are acting as single points of contact in local authorities for their communities. The appointment of these officers is already reaping rewards in terms of ensuring a much greater degree of consistency in engagements with operators and clearing obstacles to developing infrastructure. The Department of Rural and Community Development maintain a list of Broadband Officers, a link to which is available on my Department's website at

.