Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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830. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the number or estimated number of homes and businesses in County Monaghan that do not have access to adequate broadband coverage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9188/20]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The government is committed to delivering high speed broadband to every home, farm, business and school in Ireland. The High Speed Broadband Map, which is available atwww.broadband.gov.ie, 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 (NBP). The Map is colour coded and searchable by address and Eircode.

- Premises in the AMBER area will be provided with high speed broadband through the State led Intervention, the contract for which was signed in November last with National Broadband Ireland (NBI).

- The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.

- The LIGHT BLUE area represents 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 outlines the latest data on the number of premises in Monaghan where access to a high speed broadband connection is, or will be, delivered by commercial operators (BLUE/LIGHT BLUE) and those where access will be delivered under the State led intervention (AMBER).

Under the State led intervention, all counties will see premises passed in the first 2 years and over 90% of premises in the State will have access to high speed broadband within the next four years. By the end of next year, NBI plans to pass in the region of 115,000 premises, with 70,000 - 100,000 passed each year thereafter until rollout is completed.

Further details on deployment activities and progress with the roll out are available on the NBI website at www.nbi.ie.

To support remote working and connected communities, approximately 300 Broadband Connections Points (BCPs) were identified by Local Authorities to be connected to high speed broadband this year. This will assist communities to quickly get free public access to high speed broadband in advance of the main NBP deployment. The planned BCP locations, including schools, library hubs, local sports facilities and other public places are available to view on the High Speed Broadband Map on the Department’s website www.broadband.gov.ie. The BCP delivery project is well underway and surveying of the BCP locations is progressing which will facilitate detailed design and installation. BCP locations are subject to change and a number of the premises initially identified are in the process of being replaced with alternative locations. The remaining BCPs remain on track for delivery by the end of 2020.

The BCPs in identified public places will leverage the high speed broadband connection through a range of measures and initiatives, for example providing free public Wi-Fi, some will also have hot-desks, and some will be digital hub business centres where digital training, business information events and other SME supports are organised.

Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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832. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the projected roll out of the national broadband plan in 2020 in County Cavan; the areas that will benefit from this development; if his attention has been drawn to the urgent need to have the broadband infrastructure upgraded in many parts of County Cavan due to increased demand for proper connectivity for households, businesses, community and public facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9292/20]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The government is committed to delivering high speed broadband to every home, farm, business and school in Ireland. The High Speed Broadband Map which is available atshows the areas in Cavan which will be included in the National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led intervention as well as areas targeted by commercial operators. The Map is colour coded and searchable by address and Eircode.

- Premises in the AMBER area will be provided with high speed broadband through the State led intervention, the contract for which was signed in November last with National Broadband Ireland (NBI).

- The BLUE area represents those areas where commercial providers are either currently delivering or have plans to deliver high speed broadband services.

- The LIGHT BLUE area represents eir's commercial rural deployment plans to rollout high speed broadband to 300,000 premises, including Cavan, as part of a Commitment Agreement signed with my Department in April 2017.

While deployment activities are underway, the deployment of fibre to pass homes is a Q4 2020 activity and the first homes passed will be able to get connected before the end of this year. By the end of next year, NBI plans to pass in the region of 115,000 premises, with 70,000 - 100,000 passed each year thereafter until rollout is completed. My Department continues to engage with NBI to explore the feasibility of accelerating aspects of the roll out of the National Broadband Plan.

Up to date information regarding deployment activities is available on NBI’s website www.nbi.ie.

To support remote working and connected communities, approximately 300 Broadband Connections Points (BCPs) were identified by Local Authorities to be connected to high speed broadband this year. This will assist communities to quickly get free public access to high speed broadband in advance of the main NBP deployment. The planned BCP locations, including schools, library hubs, local sports facilities and other public places are available to view on the High Speed Broadband Map on the Department’s websitewww.broadband.gov.ie. The BCP delivery project is well underway and surveying of the BCP locations is progressing which will facilitate detailed design and installation. BCP locations are subject to change and a number of the premises initially identified are in the process of being replaced with alternative locations. The remaining BCPs remain on track for delivery by the end of 2020

The BCPs in identified public places will leverage the high speed broadband connection through a range of measures and initiatives, for example providing free public Wi-Fi, some will also have hot-desks, and some will be digital hub business centres where digital training, business information events and other SME supports are organised.

Johnny Guirke (Meath West, Sinn Fein)
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835. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if there is a detailed schedule available on the roll-out of the national broadband plan by county; if activity is taking place to achieve this schedule; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9422/20]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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The government is committed to delivering high speed broadband to every home, farm, business and school in Ireland.The National Broadband Plan (NBP) contract was signed with National Broadband Ireland (NBI) in November last to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the Intervention Area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in the nearly 540,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools.

There are a number of stages required to roll out the new high speed broadband network including:-

- survey work to inform detailed designs in each deployment area; 22,000 premises have been surveyed to date;

- repair and make ready activities, conducted by eir, to ensure the poles and ducts that are used in each deployment area are fit for purpose;

- installation of the electronic equipment and activation of the backhaul connectivity in each exchange building; 

- development of IT systems that will allow operators place orders and schedule connections etc;

- laying of the physical fibre along the poles and ducts; and

- after an order is placed, the activation of the final connection to the actual premises.

NBI are working to ensure these activities are implemented by mobilising their own staff  and ramping up their capacity to deliver the project, including through multiple subcontractor procurements. While many of these activities are underway, the deployment of fibre to pass homes is a quarter four 2020 activity and the first homes passed will be able to get connected before the end of this year. By the end of next year, NBI plans to pass in the region of 115,000 premises, with 70,000 - 100,000 passed each year thereafter until rollout is completed. All counties will see premises passed in the first 2 years and over 90% of premises in the State will have access to high speed broadband within the next four years.

Further details on deployment activities and progress with the roll out are available on the NBI website at www.nbi.ie.

To support remote working and connected communities, approximately 300 Broadband Connections Points (BCPs) were identified by Local Authorities to be connected to high speed broadband this year. This will assist communities to quickly get free public access to high speed broadband in advance of the main NBP deployment. The planned BCP locations, including schools, library hubs, local sports facilities and other public places are available to view on the High Speed Broadband Map on the Department’s website www.broadband.gov.ie. The BCP delivery project is well underway and surveying of the BCP locations is progressing which will facilitate detailed design and installation. BCP locations are subject to change and a number of the premises initially identified are in the process of being replaced with alternative locations. The remaining BCPs remain on track for delivery by the end of 2020.