Ibec urges Government to advance National Broadband Plan

Posted February 8, 2018 by Josette Farrell in News.

Ibec press release

For immediate release: Thursday 8 February 2018

Ibec urges Government to advance National Broadband Plan

Ibec, the group that represents Irish business, today urged the Government to proceed with the procurement process for the National Broadband Plan (NBP) as soon as possible and to avoid further delay through a review.

Ibec CEO Danny McCoy said the delivery of the NBP was a critical infrastructural need for regional development and the time had come for the State to act.

“Over the coming weeks, as Government launches the National Planning Framework and the 10-year capital plan, there will be lots of focus on the opportunities for regional development and prosperity. But without the availability of high speed broadband, this will struggle to become the reality.

“You cannot have effective regional development without high speed broadband. Successful rollout of the NBP is essential to bring high speed broadband to the 23% of homes and businesses in the State that are not commercially viable for the private sector to service directly. Without access to world class broadband, our regions cannot be expected to develop and nurture the next generation of indigenous start-ups and SMEs.

“This is an issue of national importance and so the business community hopes that Government will push ahead with the process without delay.”

** See table below for a county by county analysis.