Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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516. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the analysis conducted on broadband capacity for addresses (details supplied) which resulted in them being transferred from the blue commercial zone to the NBI amber zone; the basis of the decision; when the decision was made; the person or body that took part in the decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10095/20]

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 the country. High speed broadband will be delivered to every city, town, village and individual premises in Ireland, through a combination of commercial investment by the telecommunications sector and a State intervention in those areas where commercial investment has not been fully demonstrated. 

The High Speed Broadband Map which is available at .shows the extent of the State Intervention area and also the areas targeted for commercial services:

- The BLUE areas represent those areas where commercial telecommunications providers are either currently delivering or have indicated plans to deliver high speed broadband services, 

- The AMBER areas on the High Speed Broadband Map represent the areas that will require State Intervention by the National Broadband Plan.

- THE LIGHT BLUE - the areas covered by the eir Commitment Agreement.

My Department has consulted with commercial operators extensively to ensure the High Speed Broadband Map provides as accurate a representation as possible of where high speed broadband will be provided by commercial operators and where it will not.

These particular five premises were identified in 2017  as premises where a commercial operator was no longer planning to provide a high speed broadband service. This typically occurs where a commercial deployment does not materialise as originally envisaged by the commercial operator. As a result the premises were re categorised at that time, as AMBER premises under the high speed broadband Map, so that they could be addressed through the State's NBP intervention.

The Department has subsequently reconfirmed with the market, through further consultations held in 2018 and 2019, that no commercial operator is currently serving these premises or has any plans to serve them within the next 7 years with high speed broadband.  Including these premises in the NBP intervention area will ensure that these premises will be served by a high speed broadband network, initially with a minimum download speed of 150Mbps, which will be future proofed for the next 25 years.