Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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272. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development when she last engaged with the national broadband plan; and if she is satisfied with the current roll-out in rural areas. [12474/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The National Broadband Plan (NBP) will bring reliable high-speed broadband to approximately 540,000 premises across the State, primarily in rural and isolated areas. These premises include homes, farms, community and health facilities, schools, and businesses.

National Broadband Ireland (NBI) has been contracted by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to deliver the NBP in areas where connectivity is not commercially viable and, as such, responsibility for the NBP contract is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications.

Notwithstanding this, the impact of the NBP rollout will be transformational for rural Ireland in terms of supporting both local and regional economies and sustainable rural communities. As Minister for Rural and Community Development, I take an active interest in the progress of the NBP.

Among the first deliverables under the NBP contract are Broadband Connection Points (BCPs). My Department, in collaboration with officials at the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, are co-ordinating the roll-out of BCPs in every county in the State, including many of our off-shore islands. To date more than 120 BCPs have been declared 'live', with more sites connected every day.

I met with NBI in February for an update on the progress of the NBP project. NBI outlined recent positive developments, with the first high-speed broadband connections in the State intervention area taking place in counties Cork and Cavan. NBI also outlined their plans to improve information to the public on when individual areas are likely to be connected.

The National Broadband Plan will have a profound impact on the future of our country and will provide new opportunities for rural areas in particular. These include improved career opportunities for those living in rural areas, facilitating smart farming, allowing employers to access the pool of talent that resides outside our large towns and cities, and the provision of services such as eHealth and eLearning.