Michael Collins (Cork South West, Independent)
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233. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his views on the national broadband plan mapping exercise for the intervention area performed by a company (details supplied); if his Department has carried out an analysis of the new network being deployed by a company; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35317/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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In July 2019, in order to finalise the mapping exercise required under the State Aid Guidelines on Broadband, my Department conducted a consultation in relation to the High Speed Broadband Map. This consultation sought submissions from operators who wished to have their existing high speed broadband networks or plans to invest in high speed broadband networks over the following 7 years to be included on the Department’s High Speed Broadband Map. This consultation was part of a significant engagement with industry initiated in July 2013 where my Department engaged in an extensive process of mapping and monitoring broadband availability in Ireland. This has been supported by a number of public consultations conducted from 2013 to 2019. As part of the 2019 consultation, over 180 submissions were received from a variety of stakeholders including 30 from large and small telecoms operators with the remainder from local authority broadband officers and members of the public. All operator submissions were fully assessed against my Department’s published assessment criteria and operators were informed of the outcome of this assessment in November 2019.

Following the conclusion of this consultation, a detailed report was issued to Digital Forge detailing the outcome of the assessment relating to their network coverage. Following subsequent correspondence from Digital Forge, my Department reconfirmed to Digital Forge that it was satisfied with the outcome of the assessment and the findings therein.

Separately my Department continues to engage with industry to monitor developments in the market and has engaged with SpaceX on the development of their proposed Starlink network. The development of new solutions such as Low Earth Orbit satellite solutions is something that my Department monitors on an ongoing basis. While advances have been made in these satellite based solutions, concerns remain on a number of aspects such as the likely speeds that will be delivered, where the service will be available and the price of services to consumers.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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234. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when persons in an area (details supplied) can expect to access fibre broadband as part of the national broadband plan; the specific steps he plans to take to honour the commitment in the programme for Government to accelerate the roll-out of broadband in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35337/20]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The High Speed Broadband Map, which is available at www.broadband.gov.ie, shows the areas 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 NBP network will offer users a high speed broadband service with a minimum download speed of 500Mbps from the outset. This represents an increase from the 150Mbps committed to under the Contract. The deployment plan forecasts premises passed in all counties within the first 2 years and over 90% of premises in the State having access to high speed broadband within the next four years.

I am advised by NBI that, as of 4 November 2020, almost 122,000 premises across 25 counties have been surveyed which is ahead of the full year survey target of 120,000 that had been projected by the company. This activity involves physically walking the routes and documenting images, notes and measurements of the poles, cables and underground ducts in each area. This is informing design solutions for provision of the fibre network. This detailed design is then used to initiate the ‘make ready’ project with eir for the area, where eir ensure any poles and ducts being reused are fit for purpose. It is also used to initiate works with the subcontractors deploying the actual fibre in the area. The first fibre to the home connections are expected next month in Carrigaline, Co Cork and they will be subject to technical testing and validation prior to a wider release of the area. I am advised that from the end of January retailers will be able to resell the service and householders in these areas will be able to order high speed broadband provided via the NBI network.

In Roscommon surveys have commenced in the areas of Ballymurray, Athleague, Castlecoote, Donamon, Ballymacurley, Lackan, Kilroosky, Fourmilehouse. Surveys in Cloonarragh, Loughglynn are due to start in Q2 of 2021. Further details are available on specific areas within County Roscommon through the NBI website which provides a facility for any premises within the intervention area to register their interest in being provided with deployment updates through its website www.nbi.ie.  Individuals who register with this facility will receive regular updates on progress by NBI on delivering the network and specific updates related to their own premises when works are due to commence.Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are a key element of the NBP providing high speed broadband in every county in advance of the roll out of the fibre to the home network. As of 30 October, some 187 BCP sites have been installed by NBI and 59 of these are now connected with high speed publicly accessible broadband, through a service provider contract managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development. BCPs have been connected in Roscommon at the Marian Hall in Gortaganny, Unit 1, Meadow Brook and Creeve Community Centre with further locations at  Cam Community Centre and Saint Patrick's Hall scheduled to be connected in the coming months.A number of schools in Roscommon including Ballagh and Termon National Schools will be connected to high speed broadband, for educational access only, as part of the BCP initiative. My Department will work with Department of Education and Skills to prioritise the remaining schools to be connected over the term of the NBP.  Further details can be found at https://nbi.ie/bcp-locations/. While substantial progress has been made to date, the Covid 19 pandemic has had an impact on the delivery of the fibre network. The extent of this impact is currently being assessed and NBI has committed to put in place measures to mitigate the impact in as far as possible. The Covid 19 pandemic has also highlighted the importance of good reliable broadband to ensure that citizens across Ireland can avail of remote working, education and other essential online facilities. This is reflected in the commitments in the Programme for Government where delivery of the National Broadband Plan will be a key enabler to many of the policies envisaged particularly around increased levels of remote working.

The Programme for Government has committed to seek to accelerate the roll out of the National Broadband Plan. In this regard, my Department continues to engage with NBI to explore the feasibility of accelerating aspects of this roll out to establish the possibility of bringing forward premises which are currently scheduled in years 6 and 7 of the current plan to an earlier date. Exploring the potential to accelerate the network roll out is being undertaken in parallel with the measures required to mitigate delays arising as a result of Covid 19.