Written answers

Tuesday, 4 December 2018

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

Broadband Service Provision

Photo of Fiona O'LoughlinFiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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546. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the reason homes (details supplied) in County Kildare have been excluded from the fibre broadband roll-out; and when they can expect to be included. [50175/18]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The premises referred to by the Deputy are in the AMBER area on the High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website at www.broadband.gov.ie. 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 Deputy makes reference to the premises' proximity to a commercial deployment of high speed broadband.  This deployment is part of eir's commercial roll out of high speed broadband to 300,000 predominantly rural premises, in line with a Commitment Agreement signed with my Department in April 2017. 

Decisions made by private telecommunication operators relating to the roll out and siting 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. 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.

My priority is bringing the NBP procurement process to a fair and impartial conclusion as quickly as possible.  My Department will now conclude its assessment of the final tender submission received by the bidder on 18 September 2018 and I will bring a recommendation to Government in the coming weeks. 

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.

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