Minister told about gigabit ‘urban blackspots” and potentially uneconomic locations
Minister for Communications Patrick O’Donovan has been told the €400 million allocated for broadband last October will be more than €80 million short of the capital funding requirement. Photograph: Laura Huttonstate that the €400 million allocated in the budget last October was estimated to be more than €80 million short of capital funding that had been sought for this year.
In a statement the Department of Arts, Culture and Communications told The Irish Times that, as part of the budget process for 2025, the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications – which held the communications portfolio before it was reassigned under the new Government – was allocated €400 million for the deployment of broadband through the national broadband plan project.
“A similar approach was adopted in the budgeting processes undertaken both in 2023 and 2024, where a conservative budget figure was agreed at the start of these years and additional funding was then sought when National Broadband Ireland exceeded its forecasted delivery of premises passed in that year. It should be noted that the overall national broadband plan project is currently running under budget and is aiming to be completed in advance of schedule at the end of 2026.
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