Written answers

Tuesday, 24 May 2022

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment

National Broadband Plan

Photo of Claire KerraneClaire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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115. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment if he will provide updated figures on the National Broadband Plan targets for 2022; the number of premises that were targeted for installation in 2022; the number that have been completed to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26349/22]

Photo of Ossian SmythOssian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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In April this year, my Department agreed an Updated Interim Remedial Plan (UIRP) with NBI, which recalibrated the targets for 2022 to take account of the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic and other delays to the Programme. The UIRP has a revised target of 102,000 premises to be passed by the end of January 2023 (Contract Year 3). I am advised by NBI that as of 13 May 2022 over 56,600 premises have been passed across 22 counties and are available for immediate connection, while almost 67,700 premises can order, or pre-order a high-speed broadband connection across 23 counties.

Photo of Claire KerraneClaire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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116. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the percentage of surveying that has been completed in relation to the National Broadband Plan in rural intervention areas in 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26350/22]

Photo of Ossian SmythOssian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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NBI has advised that, as of 31 December 2021, over 285,500 premises within the Intervention Area were surveyed or had surveys underway, which equates to almost 51% of the total Intervention Area of almost 560,000 premises. I am advised by NBI that, as of 13 May 2022, almost 327,000 premises have now been surveyed or have surveys underway which equates to over 58% of the total Intervention Area. Over 175,300 premises are under construction or complete across 26 counties, demonstrating that the project is reaching scale. I am further advised that over 67,700 premises are now available to order or pre-order a high-speed broadband connection across 23 counties, with over 56,600 premises passed across 22 counties and available for immediate connection. The number of connections is increasing on a daily basis and is in line with or exceeding projections. Further details are available on specific areas 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. NBI has a dedicated email address, reps@nbi.ie, which can be used by Oireachtas members for specific queries.

NBI has made recent improvements to their website to enhance the provision of information to Oireachtas members. NBI has now completed a suite of changes, creating a portal that will serve as a means for Oireachtas members to proactively search for information relevant to their county/local area. The portal provides an up-to-date picture of NBI’s deployment schedule across the 227 Deployment Areas (DAs) in all 26 counties. A particular county can be selected to view an update of the overall number of premises in the Intervention Area, the overall NBP investment in the county, the number of premises passed to date and the status of each of the Deployment Areas with the anticipated date for connection over the lifetime of the project. The dedicated webpage can be accessed here: www.nbi.ie/reps. 

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