Rural Properties Targeted For Broadband

A new rural broadband scheme that aims to identify the remaining individual premises in rural Ireland that are unable to obtain a broadband service and to provide a service to those premises where requested has been launched.

This Scheme will be carried out in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food under the Rural Development Programme co-funded by the European Agriculture Fund for Rural Development.

The Dáil Communications Minister Pat Rabitte said the Scheme aims to ensure that universal broadband access is provided in Ireland by the end of 2012.


While the completion of the Irish Government's National Broadband Scheme (NBS) has brought broadband services to every district in the country, there are remaining un-served rural premises which could not be included in the NBS or which are difficult to reach for mainly technical reasons.

The new initiaitive is designed to identify those premises through a public application process and, ultimately, to bring a broadband service to them either through existing private sector service providers or through a service provider procured by Government

"I am now launching this Scheme to identify the remaining small percentage of premises that have not been able to procure a broadband service and to provide broadband to such premises which cannot be served by the existing market," said the Minister.

"My Department will be accepting applications for a three month period starting now, so there will be ample opportunity for people to come forward with details of premises that cannot obtain a service."

(BMcC/KMcA)