Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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42. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the expected timeline for completion of fibre broadband roll-out to each property in County Tipperary under Eir and NBI. [3770/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention will be delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under a contract 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 over 544,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with 695 schools.

eir’s rural deployment of high speed broadband is a commercial undertaking and not part of the planned State Intervention network. It is not funded by the State and is not planned, designed or directed by my Department in any capacity. The decision as to what areas and premises are served are made by eir internally and on a commercial basis. My Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that process.

In terms of the roll out of the State led intervention under the NBP, construction works will have commenced in all counties within the first 2 years and over 90% of premises in the State are expected to have access to high speed broadband within the next four years. I am advised by National Broadband Ireland that, as of 15 January 2021, over 161,000 premises across all counties have been surveyed. There are 29,759 premises in the Intervention Area in Co. Tipperary of which 8,211 premises have been surveyed. Surveys have been completed in areas around Aherloe, Ballinalard and Bansha with surveying underway in the Roscea area and surrounding townlands, Cashel, Townspark, Boherlahan, Goolds Cross, Knockavilla, Garrenroe, Camus Bridge, Golden, Shanballa, Dogstown, Racecourse Cross, Rosegreen, Knockbrett, Mayfield, Boscobell and Dualla. Further details are available on specific areas within County Tipperary 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 as works commence.  I am advised that NBI is working to provide more detail on its website, with a rolling update on network build plans. NBI also has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.

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 10 January, 243 publicly accessible BCP sites have been installed by NBI and the high speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development.  BCP’s are installed at Drom Community Centre, Killoscully Community Centre and Killea GAA Club. BCPs are installed and connected at Moyglass Community Hall, Killurney Community Centre and Aglish Community Centre. Further details can be found at https://nbi.ie/bcp-locations/. 

Poulacapple National School and Killeen National School are installed by NBI for educational access as part of this initiative.  My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high speed broadband, within the intervention area for connection over the term of the NBP. In this regard, an acceleration of this aspect of the National Broadband Plan was announced in December which will see some 679 primary schools connected to high speed broadband by 2022, well ahead of the original target delivery timeframe of 2026. Further details are available on the NBI website at .

Joe Carey (Clare, Fine Gael)
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43. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will address a query raised by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3804/21]

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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68. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the reason County Clare is omitted from the latest details on the National Broadband Plan roll-out (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4327/21]

Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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74. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if fibre broadband service will be provided to an area (details supplied) as part of the current roll-out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4427/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 43, 68 and 74 together.43, 68 and 74 together.

The premises referred to in the Question is located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website www.broadband.gov.ie. The AMBER area represents the area to be served by the network to be deployed under the NBP State led intervention.

I appreciate people's frustration when they are living so close to a fibre network but cannot get a connection to that network, particularly given the heightened importance of connectivity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The NBP will ensure that in all such cases a future proofed high speed broadband network will be built to serve these premises and work to deliver on this is underway. 

I am advised by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) that, as of 15 January 2021, over 161,000 premises across all counties have been surveyed. This includes over 1,600 surveys in Cratloe, Ballycannan, Ballyglas and Cloghrea and that construction has commenced in these areas. I understand that NBI expects connections to be available for these areas in the second half of this year. Details of all of the townlands covered by this build are available through the NBI website www.nbi.ie.

In addition, I am informed that surveys for over 3,500 premises have recently being completed in the areas around Kilkishen, Sixmilebridge, Kilmurry, Broadford and Clontra with further surveys scheduled in the areas around Feakle and Corofin in the latter half of this year. Further details are available on specific areas within County Clare 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. 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 as works commence. I am advised that NBI is working to provide more detail on its website, with a rolling update on network build plans. NBI also has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.

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 10 January, 243 publicly accessible BCP sites have been installed by NBI and the high speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development. BCP’s installed and connected in Clare are Cree Community Centre, Michael Cusack Visitor Centre and Loop Head Lighthouse. Further details can be found at . 

Shragh, Ennistymon and  Stonehall National Schools are connected by NBI for educational access as part of this initiative. My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high speed broadband within the Intervention Area for connection over the term of the NBP. In this regard, an acceleration of this aspect of the National Broadband Plan was announced in December which will see some 679 primary schools connected to high speed broadband by 2022, well ahead of the original target delivery timeframe of 2026. Further details are available on the NBI website at . 

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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44. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when an area (details supplied) will be able to avail of high-speed broadband. [3814/21]

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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66. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when an area (details supplied) will avail of high-speed broadband. [4274/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 44 and 66 together.

The Questions refer to premises located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website www.broadband.gov.ie. The AMBER area represents the area to be served by the network to be deployed under the NBP State led intervention.

I appreciate people's frustration when they are living so close to a fibre network but cannot get a connection to that network, particularly given the heightened importance of connectivity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The NBP will ensure that in all such cases a future proofed high speed broadband network will be built to serve these premises and work to deliver on this is underway. 

I am advised by National Broadband Ireland that, as of 15 January 2021, over 161,000 premises across all counties have been surveyed. Surveys in County Westmeath have been completed in Mullingar, Sonna, Stonehall, Taghmon, Jamestown, Hopestown and Athlone. Further details are available on specific areas within County Westmeath 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 as works commence. I am advised that NBI is working to provide more detail on its website, with a rolling update on network build plans. NBI also has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.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 10 January, 243 publicly accessible BCP sites have been installed by NBI and the high speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development. BCP’s are installed at Streete Parish Park and Community Hall, Whitehall Community Centre, Milltown Emper Community Centre and Ballycomoyle GAA Club. Further details can be found at . 

Scoil Náisiúnta Bhride has been installed by NBI for educational access as part of this initiative. My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high speed broadband, within the Intervention Area, for connection over the term of the NBP. In this regard, an acceleration of this aspect of the National Broadband Plan was announced in December which will see some 679 primary schools connected to high speed broadband by 2022, well ahead of the original target delivery timeframe of 2026. Further details are available on the NBI website at . 

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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45. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment when broadband will be available at a property (details supplied); the steps the person can take to accelerate the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3819/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Question refers to a premises which is located in the AMBER area on the National Broadband Plan (NBP) High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website www.broadband.gov.ie. The AMBER area represents the area to be served by the network to be deployed under the NBP State led intervention.  

I appreciate people's frustration when they are living so close to a fibre network but cannot get a connection to that network, particularly given the heightened importance of connectivity during the Covid-19 pandemic. The NBP will ensure that in all such cases a future proofed high speed broadband network will be built to serve these premises and work to deliver on this is underway. 

I am advised by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) that, as of 15 January 2021, over 161,000 premises across all counties have been surveyed. In County Donegal, surveys have been completed in Milford, Letterkenny, Ramelton, Termon, Ballymacool, Kilmacrennan, Mullaghfin and Tommyscroft. Further details are available on specific areas within County Donegal 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 as works commence. I am advised that NBI is working to provide more detail on its website, with a rolling update on network build plans. NBI also has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.

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 10 January, 243 publicly accessible BCP sites have been installed by NBI and the high speed broadband service will be switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development. BCP’s connected in Donegal are Ray Community Centre, Leghowney Community Centre, Dunree Military Museum, Cranford Coole Community Centre, the Gweedore Theatre and Meenreagh Hostel. Further details can be found at . 

School BCPs will be provided with high speed broadband for educational use through ‘service provider' contracts managed by the Department of Education. My Department continues to work with the Department of Education to prioritise schools with no high speed broadband, within the Intervention Area, for connection over the term of the NBP. In this regard, an acceleration of the schools aspect of the project was announced late last year and will see some 679 primary schools connected to high speed broadband by 2022, well ahead of the original target delivery timeframe of 2026. Some 42 schools in County Donegal are to be connected by the end of 2022. Further details are available on the NBI website at . 

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 rollout 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. NBI has established a dedicated team to investigate acceleration of the rollout from its current contracted schedule of seven years. All possible alternative network providers are being considered and substantial work has been completed by this team to date with further actions scheduled over the coming months. This includes an assessment of the potential to utilise the ESB Network for certain areas and this work is on-going. The technical feasibility of whether the ESB network is compatible with the NBI solution has been the primary focus and NBI have undertaken site surveys and developed a detailed design for a pilot area using the ESB network, with the aim of establishing from this pilot exercise, the feasibility of using the ESB infrastructure on a broader basis.

Exploring the potential to accelerate the network rollout is being undertaken in parallel with the measures required to mitigate delays arising as a result of Covid-19.