Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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859. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the position regarding the national broadband plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45698/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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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. In 2012, less than 700,000, or 30% of all 2.3 million Irish premises had access to high speed broadband.  When this Government came into office this had risen to 52%.  Today, 74% of premises can access high speed broadband services. This is being achieved via a combination of commercial investment and a State led intervention. Commercial operators have invested over €2.75 billion in upgrading and modernising their networks over the past 5 years, and further investments are planned.

Under a Commitment Agreement signed with my Department in April 2017, eir is in the process of passing 300,000 predominantly rural homes with high speed broadband. According to data for Q3 2018 submitted by eir to my Department the company has passed almost 210,000 premises nationwide as part of its ongoing deployment. This data will be published on my Department’s website shortly.

The procurement process to appoint a bidder for the State intervention network is now at the final stage, with evaluation of the final tender submission received on 18 September ongoing. The Taoiseach has asked Mr Peter Smyth, the independent process auditor to the NBP procurement to review the process. Mr Smyth will submit a report to the Taoiseach and to me as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. This review is taking place in parallel to the evaluation being carried out by the Department’s procurement team on the final tender.

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 tackle 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.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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860. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when the national broadband plan will be rolled out throughout counties Cavan and Monaghan in view of the perceived totally inadequate broadband infrastructure in the counties at present; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45699/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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In April 2017 my Department 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. 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 as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with my Department in April 2017.

There are approximately 42,000 premises in Cavan. Nearly 17,000 (40%) fall within the AMBER area and will be served under the State led Intervention. Some 23,500 (56%) of premises are in a BLUE area and are or will be served by commercial providers, while some 1,500 (4%) are LIGHT BLUE and fall to be served by eir's planned rural deployment.

There are approximately 33,000 premises in Monaghan. Almost 16,000 (48%) fall within the AMBER area and will be served under the State led Intervention. Just over 16,000 (49%) of premises are in a BLUE area and are or will be served by commercial providers, while some 1,000 (3%) are LIGHT BLUE and fall to be served by eir's planned rural deployment.

These figures are based on data for Q3 2018, which is to be published on my Department’s website shortly.

Information on categories of specific premises can be accessed on my Department’s website, www.broadband.gov.ie, by entering the relevant eircode into the High Speed Broadband Map.  For those premises who fall within eir's commercial deployment to 300,000 premises further detail is provided on its website www.fibrerollout.ie. 

The procurement process to appoint a bidder for the State intervention network is now at the final stage, with evaluation ongoing of the final tender submission received on 18 September.

The Taoiseach has asked Mr Peter Smyth, the independent process auditor to the NBP procurement to review the process. Mr. Smyth will submit a report to the Taoiseach and to me as Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment. This review is taking place in parallel with the evaluation being carried out by the Department’s procurement team on the final tender.

Under a Commitment Agreement signed with my Department in April 2017, eir is in the process of passing 300,000 predominantly rural homes with high speed broadband. According to data for Q3 2018 submitted by eir to my Department the company has passed almost 210,000 premises nationwide as part of its ongoing deployment. This data is to be published on my Department’s website shortly.

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.