[DCMNR]2nd round of GBS projects announced

Minister Noel Dempsey Announces First Stage Approval for Group Broadband Scheme

Dublin 6 July 2005

The Minister for Communications, Marine & Natural Resources, Mr Noel Dempsey, T.D., has announced the first 16 rural broadband projects to be approved under the County & Group Broadband Scheme (GBS). Under these projects, broadband service providers have been offered grant aid of over €480,000 to part-fund the roll-out of broadband network in these areas. Today’s sixteen approved projects represent an overall investment of over €1,000,000, and they will cover 27 communities with an overall population of over 20,000 people.

The GBS initiative is targeted at rural and low population areas that would be unlikely to get broadband services in the near term. The first 16 projects are located in the counties of Clare, Galway, Kerry, Leitrim, Limerick, Mayo, Meath, and Tipperary. The approved projects are:

Quin Village, Co. Clare
Cois Fharraige Gaelteacht, Co. Galway (includes Bearna, Na Forbacha, An Spidéal, Indreabhán, An Tullach and Baile na hAbhann)
Tarbet, Co. Kerry
Manorhamilton, Co. Leitrim
Caherconlish, Co. Limerick
Cappamore, Co. Limerick
Aghamore, Tooreen & Kilkelly, Co Mayo
Ballyheane, Co. Mayo
Balla, Co. Mayo
Charlestown, Co. Mayo
Croagh Patrick (South Clew Bay), Co. Mayo
Crossmolina & Ardagh Co. Mayo
Foxford, Ballyvary & Straide, Co. Mayo
Athboy, Co. Meath
Longwood, Co. Meath
Newport, Co. Tipperary

While announcing the first group of approved projects, the Minister said that he was ‘delighted with the overwhelming response from towns and communities across Ireland. Over 130 applications have been received by my Department, which cover more than 200 towns and villages and another 150 rural areas’. The Minister added that ‘over 300,000 people live in the areas covered by these rural broadband proposals’.

The County & Group Broadband Scheme was launched by Minister Dempsey in January. The Minister highlighted ‘the tremendous support that the Group Broadband Scheme has received from the County Councils and the Regional Authorities’.

Small towns and rural areas face great difficulties getting an affordable broadband service because of their low populations and expensive set-up costs. The County & Group Broadband Scheme is designed to promote investment in broadband access infrastructure in these regions by contributing grant aid of up to 55% of the infrastructure costs. €4 million has been earmarked for the second phase of this initiative, out of a total multi-annual budget of €25 million. The County & Group Broadband Scheme is co-funded by the E-commerce and Communications Measures of the Border, Midlands and Western and Southern and Eastern Regional Operational Programmes of the National Development Plan 2000-2006.