Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

55. To ask the Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment the process for the inclusion of Eircode postcodes that were missed in the original surveys contained within amber intervention areas in the roll-out of the NBP; the average NBI connection time for these premises; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59610/22]

Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I am advised by National Broadband Ireland (NBI) that, as of 18 November 2022, over 107,400 premises can order or pre-order a high-speed broadband connection across 25 counties, with over 95,700 premises passed across 25 counties and available for immediate connection. Construction is underway across 26 counties demonstrating that the project is reaching scale. To date, the level of connections is increasing on a daily basis and is in line with projections, with some areas exceeding expectations.

In July 2019, in order to finalise the mapping exercise required under the State Aid Guidelines on Broadband and to ensure the NBP High-Speed Broadband Map was up to date, my Department conducted a consultation in relation to the High-Speed Broadband Map. This consultation sought submissions from operators who wished to have their existing high speed broadband networks or plans to invest in high-speed broadband networks over the following 7 years included on the Department’s High-Speed Broadband Map. The Map shows the areas targeted by commercial operators to provide high-speed broadband services and the areas included in the State Intervention Area under the National Broadband Plan. The High-Speed Broadband Map  is available at www.broadband.gov.ie and is colour coded and searchable by address and Eircode.

This consultation was part of a significant engagement with industry initiated in July 2013 where my Department engaged in an extensive process of mapping and monitoring broadband availability in Ireland. This has been supported by a number of public consultations conducted from 2013 to 2019. All operator submissions were fully assessed against my Department’s published assessment criteria and operators were informed of the outcome of this assessment in November 2019.

The NBP High Speed Broadband Map is dynamic. This means that the intervention area can be updated to include newly constructed premises, it can reflect new commercial plans, and can deal with 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, if appropriate to do so.

There are now over 560,000 premises covered by NBI’s work programme following the addition of premises by the Department, subsequent to the signing of the contract in which 537,000 premises were originally identified.

NBI will ensure all premises in the Intervention Area are passed, ensuring that nobody is left behind.  NBI is currently in discussions with the Department about the timeframe for delivery of premises added to the programme in areas where NBI has completed or has significantly advanced its build under the original project scope.