Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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470. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the status of the roll-out of high-speed broadband in County Kildare; the way in which he expects it to progress in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53762/18]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The National Broadband Plan aims to ensure that every home, school and business in Ireland - regardless of how remote or rural - has access to high speed broadband.

This is being achieved through a combination of commercial investment across Ireland; and a State intervention in those areas, mostly rural, where commercial operators acting alone are unlikely to invest.

There are just over 92,000 premises in County Kildare. Since December 2015, the number of premises with access to high-speed broadband in Kildare has increased by 9,470, a 7% increase. In total, the number of premises in Kildare with access to high speed broadband is now 77,481, 84% of the total premises in the county. Another 741 will be served by eir under that company’s ongoing rural deployment.

The remaining 13,801 homes, schools and business in Kildare will be provided with access to this vital service under the Government’s National Broadband Plan.

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 or Eircode.

The procurement process to appoint a bidder for the State intervention network is now at the final stage. My priority is to bring the procurement process to a fair and impartial conclusion as quickly as possible. My Department will conclude 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.