Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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10. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if representatives of the national broadband scheme will engage with a community group (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7657/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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The Question refers 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 26 January 2021, over 166,000 premises across all counties have been surveyed. Further details for the Black Valley townlands of Derrycarna, Cloghernoosh, Dromluska, Cockow, Capparoe and Curraghmore are available 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 30 January, 260 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 for publicly accessible sites and the Department of Education for school BCPs. BCPs for County Kerry are installed at Gneeveguilla (Tureencahill), Cable Station, Saint Fiachna's Church, Railway Station Heritage Centre and Community Space, KilleenaghKillenagh, Kielduff Community Centre, Chapeltown and Cillín Liath. BCPs have been connected at Cable Sation, Kielduff Community Centre and Chapeltown. Further details can be found at https://nbi.ie/bcp-locations/. I am advised that the BCP referred to in the Question that has been installed at Black Valley/Gap Of Dunloe National School is part of the BCP schools initiative and will have a fixed wireless connection for an internal school network without any external points of access. The BCP and schools connections that are being provided in advance of the national fibre network rollout, are dedicated connections to a single premises, that are in the main provided by a dedicated fixed wireless connection. 

Boheeshil National School and Coars National School have also 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 .