Ladies and Gentlemen
I am delighted to be here today to launch the Gaoth Dobhair Group Broadband Project. It is a pleasure the mark the success of the initiative to bring this project together for the benefit of this area, and to look forward to the opportunities which broadband will provide here in the future.
Udarás na Gaeilge, Gaoth Dobhair Chamber of Commerce and Ildana have put a good deal of time and effort into this project, having recognised the development needs of the area and the potential offered by broadband connectivity.
The response and enthusiasm generated by this project speak for themselves, and my Department was happy to support the project by means of a grant under the Group Broadband Scheme.
The project is a good example of how communities can pool their energy and their requirements and deliver broadband in an area outside the main infrastructure developments. The parishes of Gaoth Dobhair, Ardnagappary, Bunbeg, Derrybeg, Lunniagh, Magheraclochar, Magheragallon, Stramachilmartin and Stranacorcragh will all benefit from the broadband service which is launched here today.
Although it is a relatively new technology, broadband has, in a few short years, become the essential tool of industry, commerce, education, health care and social inclusion.
Towns with broadband have an advantage in attracting inward investment. Indeed, international broadband analysis has shown that businesses are three times more likely to set up in those towns.
Companies with broadband are closer to the customers and can be competitive in national and world markets.
Homes with broadband can widen the horizons and broaden the knowledge of both children and parents.
Schools and colleges with broadband can become centres of excellence in education and learning.
Broadband Programme
The State has committed itself to the development of Ireland as a knowledge and information society and as part of this has undertaken a major programme of investing in broadband infrastructure.
The broadband revolution needs modern, high-speed infrastructure to succeed. Where the level of investment by the telecommunications sector in recent years has failed to keep pace with the demand for broadband, State intervention is crucial to ensure that Ireland stays in the forefront of development and competitiveness.
The old telephone networks cannot be relied on to deliver broadband to everyone they are limited in capacity, speed and distance. What the broadband revolution needs is the fibre capacity that is provided by the Metropolitan Area Networks - enough capacity for generations to come, with enough bandwidth to cater for every foreseeable need.
My Departments Regional Broadband Programme will roll out MANs to almost 120 towns with a population of 1,500 and more, under a three-year programme with a dedicated budget of over €170 million.
The first 19 MANs are now completed, and already carrying commercial traffic, and contracts were recently signed for a further six MANs.
The project is 90% grant-aided (12.09 million Euro) by the Government under the NDP 2000-2006 and is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Each of the MANs is designed to achieve coverage of the central commercial and retail districts, and will also pass close to all the important office and industrial parks and also the hospitals, schools and colleges in each town.
Group Broadband Scheme
While the MANs programme will make a huge difference to the telecommunications infrastructure and broadband access across much of the country, it is important that the smaller communities are not left out of the broadband revolution. Smaller towns and rural communities can benefit from broadband, particularly in relation to reducing their peripherality, but the provision of the infrastructure in such cases needs a different approach.
The objective of the Group Broadband Scheme is to bring high-speed, affordable broadband to smaller towns and rural communities where the population is less than 1500. It offers these areas the chance to develop their own broadband services, with up to 55% funding from Government, using the broadband delivery technology that is best suited to the location whether it be wireless, satellite, fibre or cable.
The Group Broadband Scheme has its own budget of €25 million under the National Development Plan, and is also co-funded by European Regional Development Fund.
I am pleased with the interest that the first phase of the scheme generated, and indeed the Gaoth Dobhair project was one of the first to be approved. I would hope that by the end of the year about 30 community-based broadband projects will have been approved.
I would also look forward to an increased interest in phase 2, which should be launched and applications invited early in the new year. The success of projects such as this one offers a successful model to other communities and will no doubt galvanise interest in the months to come.
Development agencies such as Udarás na Gaeltachta, and local authorities, can play a particularly important role in bringing communities and projects together, and in providing the core expertise and support. This is an aspect of the Group Broadband Scheme which I would personally encourage under phase 2.
Conclusion
To bring the focus back to today’s particular occasion, all that remains for me now is the pleasant task of congratulating all those involved in the launch of this project here in Gaoth Dobhair. I wish the project every success in the future, and wish everybody here all the best for Christmas and the New Year.
Ends.