Delivery of the National Broadband Plan: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-04-28
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Alison Comyn (FF), Nominated by the Taoiseach

Tá fáilte roimh an Aire um tráthnóna. As Fianna Fáil's spokesperson on media and communications, I welcome the opportunity to speak on the delivery of this vital national broadband plan, and more importantly, what it is already beginning to mean for communities right across Ireland.
When we talk about broadband, we are talking not just about cables under the ground or fibre up the poles but about a student in rural Louth, Donegal or Kerry being able to attend an online lecture without the screen freezing every few minutes or about a farmer submitting forms online in minutes, rather than having to drives miles to find a reliable connection. We are talking about older people being able to access telehealth services, families being able to stay connected and small businesses finally having the digital infrastructure to compete on a level playing field. Perhaps most importantly, we are talking about people having the choice to live and work in their own communities.
Most of us in the Chamber know what happens when the broadband drops at home for even ten minutes. There is panic and pandemonium. The children are shouting that there is no Wi-Fi, half the house grounds to a halt and suddenly we seem unable to function. As nice as that sounds for a small time, we can only imagine the absolute frustration of families and businesses that have lived for years with poor or unavailable connectivity. Nobody is taking that progress for granted. While some communities are still waiting, thankfully many are now finally beginning to see real movement and real hope that they too will soon have the reliable service most of us now depend on every single day.
There are more people living and working in rural Ireland than at any point in the history of the State. That is a remarkable transformation. The increase in remote and hybrid working following the pandemic has been hugely positive and transformational for rural Ireland. It has allowed people to return home, remain local, raise families in their own communities and contribute to rural economies in a way that simply was not possible a decade ago. However, none of that works without connectivity and that is why the national broadband plan is so important.
As the Minister mentioned, it is one of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever undertaken by the State. Sometimes we lose sight of the sheer scale of what is being delivered. As he mentioned, the plan aims for 100% coverage in the intervention area, meaning that by the end of this year over 500,000 premises, including around 65,000 farms, 26,000 businesses and 672 schools will have access to high-speed broadband infrastructure. That means well over 500,000 people will have access to fibre broadband if they choose to connect. What is really important about this project is that it was deliberately designed so that the entire country would progress at the same time, rather than moving county by county or region by region.
This matters because rural Ireland has waited long enough for equal access. If I may, I might reiterate some of those numbers that have been mentioned by my colleagues here. As of 17 April, more than 465,000 premises had been passed, with over 170,000 already connected to the network. That is almost 500,000 premises that can now order or pre-order broadband. Importantly, the project is expected to be completed on time and under budget, with the main infrastructure build due to be concluded by the end of this year. This is huge progress by any measure.
While national figures are important, local communities want to know one thing: when it will reach them. I was very pleased to see Togher in County Louth, only down the road from me, included among the 27 areas around the country now at the network build in progress stage. For many people in rural parts of Louth and around the country, reliable broadband has been an ongoing frustration for decades. Families, remote workers and local businesses have often felt left behind despite being only a short distance from major urban centres and the two largest towns in Ireland. Seeing real progress happening now on the ground in places like Togher is genuinely welcome and shows that the plan is reaching communities that need it the most.
The ambition of this plan is perhaps best illustrated by the fact that even some of our offshore islands are now being connected. Inishbofin, Inisheer and Inishmaan are due to be connected late this year, while many other island communities are already at the broadband available to order or pre-order stage. This sends a really clear message that no community, no matter how remote, should be left behind in modern infrastructure.
It is also important to recognise the role of the broadband connection hubs and points. These public facilities, whether community centres, libraries, sport centres or enterprise hubs, become a real lifeline in many rural areas before the fibre roll-out is available and has arrived. Over 283 public sites are now connected and offer free public access. For some communities, these hubs meant people could work remotely, students could complete schoolwork and families could stay connected during extremely challenging periods and schools, as has been mentioned, have benefited significantly.
All 672 primary schools within the intervention area received technical connectivity ahead of the fibre roll-out to ensure children in rural Ireland and all across the country were not left waiting for digital access.
Around three quarters of these schools have transitioned from wireless solutions to permanent fibre connections. This is hugely important because digital inequality in education quickly becomes educational inequality. While we acknowledge the progress, we also know there is a little bit more work to do. Broadband black spots remain around the current intervention area and I welcome the programme for Government commitment to tackle those areas that may not otherwise be served commercially. No community should be left without broadband because it falls outside a particular map line.
I also welcome the wider digital connectivity strategy, which aims to ensure all Irish homes and businesses are covered by a gigabit network no later than 2028. That ambition is an absolute necessity. Digital connectivity is not a luxury; it is vital. If we are serious about balanced regional development, climate goals, reducing commuting pressures and sustaining rural communities, connectivity has to remain central to Government policy. As spokesperson, I welcome the continued progress of the national broadband plan. It is transforming rural Ireland and the entire country in a practical, measurable and lasting way. There is still work ahead but communities are now seeing tangible progress. For families in places like Togher and countless other rural and urban areas across Ireland, high-speed broadband is no longer some distant promise; it is actually becoming a reality and one I am really looking forward to seeing to its entirety. I thank the Minister of State for coming to this very important debate today.

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Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted.

Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-04-28/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:52+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-04-28