Written answers

Tuesday, 16 April 2019

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

National Broadband Plan Implementation

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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455. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if broadband service will be provided to a property (details supplied) under phase 1 of the national broadband plan. [17431/19]

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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457. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a broadband supply will be provided to a property (details supplied) as part of phase 1 of the national broadband plan. [17453/19]

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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458. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a broadband service will be provided to a property (details supplied) under phase 1 of the national broadband plan. [17454/19]

Photo of Robert TroyRobert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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459. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if broadband will be provided to a property (details supplied) as part of phase 1 of the national broadband plann. [17461/19]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 455 and 457 to 459, inclusive, together.

All of the premises referenced by the Deputy in these Questions are in the AMBER area of 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. I intend to 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 Local Authority Broadband Officers is continuing. 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.

Photo of Anne RabbitteAnne Rabbitte (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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456. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the estimated time for connection in the roll-out of the national broadband plan in an area (details supplied); if this property was part of the additional 80,000 residential and businesses expansion recently announced by a company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17436/19]

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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I welcome recent announcements of further commercial investment in high speed broadband infrastructure by telecommunications operators. While my Department has received high level presentations from the operators with regard to their recent announcements, the operators have not published, or provided my Department with, detailed commercial or technical plans identifying the individual premises to be served.

The premises referenced 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. 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 Local Authority Broadband Officers is continuing. 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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