Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1274. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the roll-out of broadband connection points; the number that have been connected to date by county; the number planned to be connected; the component shortages that may impact the delivery of broadband connection points; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53281/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Broadband Connection Point (BCP) initiative includes both Public BCPs and School BCPs, the latter are the responsibility of the Department of Education and any queries relating to them are accordingly a matter for that Department.

There are two companies involved in the delivery of Public BCPs: NBI, under contract to the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications, delivers the initial connectivity to the majority of sites via a temporary wireless link and Vodafone Ireland, under contract to my Department, provides and manages the onsite customer equipment and support development of the BCP network. At a small number of BCPs, Vodafone will also provide the initial connectivity. Before a BCP becomes live it must have both the initial connectivity and the customer equipment installed and operational.

BCPs are key facilities for communities with inadequate broadband services. As such, before any BCP is accepted as complete, my officials must be satisfied that the work has been completed to the appropriate standard. This may, at times, lead to an apparent discrepancy between the number of sites listed as 'live' on the online map and the actual number of live sites. The period between completion, acceptance and inclusion in the online maps is for quality assurance and due diligence work and should not be taken as an indication that there are issues with works carried out at any BCP.

There are currently 300 Public BCPs planned, of these 214 have been accepted by my Department as live and operational and are visible as such on the online map at myconnectedcommunity.ie.

I understand that some 25 further sites are live and operational that have yet to be accepted as such (and updated on the map) by my Department.

By the end of this year, my officials expect that some 285 sites will be fully operational, with a small number of more difficult to install sites due for completion early in the New Year. A full list of live BCPs and the dates that they were accepted as live is set out below. Full details of all BCPs, live and planned, are available at myconnectedcommunity.ie.

With regard to the impact of component shortages on the BCP project, specifically the global shortage of microchips, at this point there has not been a noticeable impact. Supply lines for customer premises equipment (this includes the switches and WIFI access points deployed at BCPs) appear to be stable, notwithstanding some delays. My officials remain alert to developments and have expedited a number of orders and upgrades to protect the project, as far as possible, against the worst potential impacts of any further deterioration in supply lines.

Ruairi Ó Murchú (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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1275. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the development activities that her Department will scale up following the completion of the roll-out of broadband connection points; the details of pilot projects; the locations of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53282/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) are among the first deliverables under the National Broadband Plan (NBP) contract. Initially, these sites were considered an interim measure for those areas likely to wait longest for permanent connections under the NBP - publicly accessible internet for those without adequate connectivity at home. However, as the BCP network build began, it became very clear that great potential existed to develop BCPs as digitally-enabled, long-term community assets.

Against the backdrop of the public health crisis and the attendant exponential growth in demand for remote working facilities and travel restrictions, the role of BCPs has rapidly evolved. Communities expect their BCPs to be remote working hubs as well as study and training spaces. Many communities also want to take part in cultural activities and share their own creativity with others.

In response, my Department and the local authority Broadband Officers upgraded the technical specifications at the majority of BCPs allowing for additional functionality, such as you would expect in any professional workplace, and also began trialling new activities and services. These trials serve two purposes: they establish what may work well at BCPs and they also encourage those managing BCPs to imagine other uses for the high-speed connectivity that has been provided.

Trial projects may either be available to all operational BCPs, or may be limited to a few selected sites. Where there is a limit to the number of sites that may take part in a trial, these sites were selected on a first come, first served basis, or on the basis of a needs and suitability assessment.

There are currently 18 pilot projects live under the following four headings, including the following examples:

- eHealth- dedicated e-health rooms in Co. Sligo and on both Tory & Clare Islands: These e-health facilities will complement the HSE Attend Anywhere initiative and be suitable for a range of virtual consultations.

- Training & Education- adult digital literacy training; CoderDojo and OurKidsCode for children and families

- Arts & Culture- a nationwide BCP film festival curated by the IFI; tuition in the Uilleann pipes by NPU

- Remote Working– training for hub managers provided by the Ludgate Hub in Skibbereen; Grow Remote chapter training.

There is no charge to the BCPs or the public for participation in any of the trial activities. Furthermore, grants of €1,000 are available for devices and equipment to support training and education activities and €10,000 has been made available to each local authority to procure additional activities or training, either under the headings above or under another heading as proposed by the Broadband Officer.

Details of events at BCPs can be found at myconnectedcommunity.ie/events/. This recently added function on the BCP network’s website will be updated over the coming months with additional details as new events are added.