Joe O'Reilly: National Broadband Plan Transforming Rural Ireland

Thank you Cathaoirleach. Can I at the outset welcome Minister Donovan to the house and thank him for his opening remarks setting the scene and explaining the current situation. In an era when connectivity is as essential as electricity or clean water, the National Broadband Plan is reshaping the future of rural Ireland and ensuring that no community, no matter how remote, is left behind. When the National Broadband Plan was first published I had the privilege of serving on the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Communications. It was an extraordinary moment to be directly involved in shaping a project of such national importance and Minister Richard Bruton did extraordinary work at that time. From the outset the communities recognised the transformative potential of the plan, communities did and we, those of us who believed in the plan, made sure it went through the committee and I was proud to support its ambition to deliver high-speed broadband to every corner of our Ireland. Being part of that work, helping to advance a vision that is now becoming a reality in communities across the country remains one of the most rewarding responsibilities I've held. Seeing the success of the follow-up today, especially in counties like my own, which I'll go back to the figures of later, is that I'm extremely proud of it and to have been one of three committee members from my party then. That early vision has since grown into one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever on the stage. The national broadband plan represents a bold commitment to deliver high-speed fibre broadband to every home, farm, school and business in the country. Not just in our cities and towns but in our villages, our remote town lands and our offshore islands. According to National Broadband Ireland, this is the largest telecommunications project in the history of the state, involving the deployment of fibre across 1.5 million poles and the installation of 142,000 kilometres of new fibre. To date, the rollout has achieved remarkable milestones. Nearly half a million detailed surveys have been completed, laying the groundwork for precise planning and efficient construction. Over 2,800 people are now working on the project, bringing together expertise from Ireland and around the world. Their work has already delivered fibre infrastructure to many parts of the country, including some of the most challenging terrain Ireland has to offer. One of the clearest indicators of success is the progress in the state's intervention area. Those regions where private operators had no plans to invest. This area involves more than 564,000 premises and 1.1 million people. These are families, farmers, small businesses and schools that would otherwise not have access to modern life and normal life now. Yet today, thanks to the National Broadband Plan, high-speed fibre is being delivered to them reliably and affordably. In Cavan, the National Broadband Plan is delivering clear and measurable success. According to reporting a few weeks ago, almost 14,800 premises in Cavan can now connect to the new fibre network, representing the vast majority of the 17,000 premises in the intervention area. The county was among the earliest in the country to see active rollout and at one stage recorded some of the highest uptakes. Work is now concentrated in the final remaining areas around Bonn, Baye and West Cavan. Local broadband officers note that most premises are expected to be fully connected by the end of 2026, so it's a huge success. The success of the broadband is not measured in kilometres alone, but it's in the fact that students in rural schools can now access digital learning tools, that small business can trade globally from a village in the west of Ireland, that a farmer can adopt smart technologies, that medicine can be delivered and even talk of e-wards, and that we can connect from home and work at home. As we look ahead, the work continues. New homes built in the intervention areas over the past 25 years will also be connected, ensuring that this investment serves not only today's generation, but the next. As the rollout progresses, more communities will see the benefits of a network designed not just for today's needs, but for the demands of the decades to come. What's wonderful about this is the equality that's in it. It's not distinguishing between areas or peoples, everybody's getting it and it's making a real difference. Thank you.