Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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857. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the progress achieved in 2018 and to date in 2019 and his plans for the upgrade of broadband telecommunications infrastructure throughout counties Cavan and Monaghan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54107/18]

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 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 where commercial operators acting alone are unlikely to invest. There are approximately 42,000 premises in County Cavan. Since December 2015, the number of premises with access to high speed broadband in Cavan has increased by 5,317, a 13% increase. In total, the number of premises in Cavan with access to high speed broadband is now 23,535, or 56% of the total premises in the county. Approximately another 1,570 premises will be served by eir under that company’s ongoing rural deployment.

There are approximately 33,000 premises in County Monaghan. Since December 2015, the number of premises with access to high speed broadband in Monaghan increased by 2,270, a 7% increase. In total, the number of premises in Monaghan with access to high speed broadband is now 16,325, or 49% of the total premises in the county. Approximately another 1,000 premises will be served by eir under that company's ongoing rural deployment.

The remaining 16,985 premises in Cavan and 15,675 premises in Monaghan will be connected under the Government’s National Broadband Plan State led intervention.

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 Map is updated on a quarterly basis as more premises gain access to high speed broadband.

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 and I will bring a recommendation to Government in this regard in the coming weeks.

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The premises referred to by the Deputy is in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) 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. This intervention is the subject of an ongoing procurement process. 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 and I will bring a recommendation to Government in this regard 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.