Rollout of broadand plan must be accelerated to meet targets

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Galway Daily news Work underway to deliver fibre broadband for 2,500 homes in East Galway

Local TD Seán Canney has called on National Broadband Ireland (NBI) and the Government to accelerate the rollout of the National Broadband Plan.

He said that they need to accelerate the rollout if they are to achieve the target of 96% of all houses and premises to have access to fibre optic broadband connection by 2026.

In a reply from NBI, Deputy Canney said he received confirmation that in July, the plan fell short of the initial projection of having 250,000 houses passed.

He accepted that Covid was a delaying factor, but said we are way past that issue and are now into the fourth year of a five to seven-year project timescale to deliver the National Broadband Plan.

“The state led intervention aims to roll out a high speed and future proofed broadband network within the intervention area which covers 1.1 million people living and working in over 560,000 premises, including almost 100,000 businesses and farms along with some 679 schools,” said the Independent TD.

“With 4 years of the plan period gone and 3 years left there is just 27% of the 560,00 premises passed now is the time to evaluate progress and put the necessary implementation plan in place to ensure with react our targets which were set out in the Plan.”