Cabinet Approves National Broadband Plan

Ministers from the Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht, Josepha Madigan TD and Sean Kyne TD, have welcomed the Cabinet decision to approve the National Broadband Plan.

The scheme is set to be the biggest investment in rural Ireland since electrification, bringing high speed broadband to over one million people in homes, businesses and farms.

Minister Madigan said: "Nationwide provision of high speed broadband has the potential to support creative industries developing in areas which may not be feasible today. We are already aware of the importance of high speed broadband for industries such as film and animation, with some very successful companies in this sector already based in rural areas."

She added that "recent years have also seen significant changes in the way that people access film and TV productions" and the successful implementation of the National Broadband Plan will allow all those living in rural Ireland improved availability of these services. 

"In addition, as we continue to invest in our Cultural Institutions, and particularly in digitisation of our collections, increasing the reach of broadband throughout Ireland will make these national treasures more readily accessible to all our citizens."

Minister Kyne commented: "Many Gaeltacht regions and inhabited offshore islands will particularly benefit from provision of high speed broadband – reinforcing our national policy of supporting Irish speaking and island communities to continue to live in these areas, through underpinning enterprise, opportunities to work from home, education and general social well-being. By assisting Irish speakers to continue living in the Gaeltacht, the National Broadband Plan will support the implementation of the Government's 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language."

Ireland will become one of the first countries to ensure that everyone, even those living in rural areas, have the same digital opportunities following the announcement of a preferred bidder.

Those 1.1 million people will be able to avail of the range of new opportunities that high speed broadband has and will deliver. Without it, they won't have guaranteed access to these. It opens up:

• Flexible and remote working

• Smart health with online GP and nursing services and medical monitoring

• Cloud based services and connected devices

• Smart farming opportunities

• Digital learning

• Reliable electronic payments and bookings.



(JG/CM)