Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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45. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment his plans to ensure broadband accessibility for all students to facilitate online learning at home throughout the Covid-19 restrictions in view of primary and secondary schools remaining closed for January 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1420/21]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin Bay South, Green Party)
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I recognise how vital telecommunications services are to citizens for so many aspects of their daily lives, including remote working, studying and staying in touch with family members during the Covid-19 crisis. Providing telecommunication services is a matter for the relevant service providers operating in a fully liberalised market regulated by the Commission for Communication Regulation (ComReg), as independent Regulator.

In April 2020, all major telecommunications providers in Ireland committed to a number of measures to help people stay in touch and work from home during the pandemic. Since then, a number of operators have implemented further supports for consumers, including students in education, who require a high data usage package, by increasing data limits on many existing packages and introducing new packages with very high, or unlimited data offerings. Consequently, the market for mobile packages with very high, or unlimited data offerings, is becoming increasingly competitive, which is a positive development for consumers.

Those commitments were further supported through regulations made under the Wireless Telegraphy Act 1926, for a ComReg framework proposal enabling temporary release of additional radio spectrum rights of use. Ministerial consent was granted for this proposed providing flexibility for mobile network operators to create additional capacity for mobile phone and broadband services and accommodating increased demand arising from  Covid 19 related remote working and studying. Three-month licences were issued to three mobile network operators and were renewed on a number of occasions most recently to  to 1 April 2021.     

In addition, ComReg recently published an alert on its website to help increase awareness of the unlimited data packages entitled: “Looking for mobile unlimited data plans for remote school or college?”

Finally, as of March 3rd, 287 publicly accessible Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) have been delivered by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) State led Intervention. High speed broadband services are being switched on in these locations through service provider contracts managed by the Department of Rural and Community Development.