David Cullinane (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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162. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if a premises (details supplied) and the whole community will be included in the National Broadband Plan; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21248/21]

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.

My Department defines high speed broadband as a connection with minimum speeds of 30Mbps download and 6Mbps upload. The activities of commercial operators delivering high speed broadband within BLUE areas are not planned or funded by the State and my Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard.

The premises referred to in the Question is located in the BLUE area on the NBP High Speed Broadband Map which is available on my Department's website at www.broadband.gov.ie. The activities of commercial operators delivering high speed broadband within BLUE areas are not planned or funded by the State and my Department has no statutory authority to intervene in that regard.

Complaints about service provision are a matter between the consumer and the service provider in the first instance. If this avenue has been exhausted without a satisfactory resolution, the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) may be able to assist further. ComReg is the independent body that issues licences to broadband service providers and investigates complaints to make sure that companies are delivering services in line with their licence obligations.

In the event that, having exhausted the above options, a premises located in the BLUE area still cannot get high speed broadband from service providers in the area, they should contact my Department at broadband@decc.gov.iewith full details and the matter will be investigated by my officials. The NBP High Speed Broadband Map is dynamic. This means that the intervention area can be updated to reflect new commercial plans, or previous plans that have failed to materialise. This flexibility allows for an increase or decrease in the number of premises included in the State Intervention area. Any changes to the map are subject to a formal review process. This is to ensure that the State is compliant with State Aid rules and the State aid approval which enabled the contract to be awarded under the National Broadband Plan. 

With regard to the wider area being brought into the NBP, I understand from my Department that adjoining townlands including  Ballynamona Upper, Barranastook, Gates, Loskeran and Moanfoun have a mixture of premises located in the Intervention Area and of premises located in the Blue area. The premises in the BLUE area are receiving high speed broadband from their service providers or their service providers have plans to deliver a service to the areas.  The remaining premises located in the Intervention area will be provided with high speed broadband through the NBP ensuring that no premises is left behind.