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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556. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to extend high speed broadband to an area (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50633/18]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard 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 rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with my Department in April 2017.

The following table details the percentage of premises to be covered by the State Intervention and through commercial investment in the townlands in County Kildare identified by the Deputy.

TownlandPremises within the NBP Intervention Area Premises within Commercial Operator’s Area Premises within eir planned rural deployment
Newtown (Ed Killinthomas)23% (25) 75% (82) 2% (2)
Lullymore West26% (11) 74% (31) 0% (0)
Lullymore East54% (15) 46% (13) 0% (0)
Rathangan10% (48) 90% (420) 0% (0)

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.

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 to 300,000 premises. Further detail on this progress is provided on its website www.fibrerollout.ie.

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

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