Work is underway to ensure homes and businesses in Cavan and Monaghan will be connected under the Government’s plan for high speed broadband, Fine Gael Minister Heather Humphreys has said.

Minister for Social Protection and Community & Rural Development said: “Homes and businesses in Cavan and Monaghan will be connected to high speed broadband under the Government’s National Broadband Plan, for which survey work is underway despite the challenges of the pandemic.

The Broadband Connection Points (BCPs) initiative will see publicly accessible sites in rural and isolated parts of Monaghan provided with a temporary high-speed broadband connection by National Broadband Ireland(NBI), the company contracted to deliver the NBP. Many points have been connected already.

As part of the work to connect homes and businesses to highspeed broadband, surveying is underway or completed in Cornacassa, Cortolvin, Ballybay, Stranooden, Mullinahinch, Bellanode, Drumhilock, Tydavnet, Cloughnart, Scotstown and Killymarley, Drumcru, Stonebridge, Tiernahinch, Clones, Annalore, Kileevan, Drumullan, Newbliss, Cumber, Scotshouse, Clonowla, Clonagore and Clonooney.

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In County Cavan, work to connect homes and businesses to highspeed broadband, surveying is underway or completed in Ballinagh, Corlurgan, Araghan, Poles, Caughoo, Belturbet, Killashandra, Butlersbridge, Ballylennon, Redhills, Gannons Cross, Derryheelan, Castlesaunderson, Townparks, Foalies Bridge, Riverrun and Erne Hill.

“This is great progress and is so important for the economic and social development of Cavan and Monaghan as part of Fine Gael’s vision for balanced regional development across both counties.

“Rural broadband is so essential to this vision. It will allow enterprise to flourish in both Cavan and Monaghan and ensure people have increased options to live and work here.

“This why in the last Government, Fine Gael began the largest and most significant investment ever in rural Ireland through our National Broadband Plan. Broadband is coming to every town, village and community across the country. This will take time, but it is positive that preparatory work is underway in both Cavan and Monaghan.

Minister Humphreys continued: “Not one of the other political parties supported Fine Gael’s broadband plan and they sought to block it at every turn. There are remote and rural areas across Cavan and Monaghan where commercial providers will not invest.

“Since the pandemic, the parties that opposed Fine Gael’s Broadband Plan are belatedly coming around to the importance of remote working.

“Fine Gael’s vision for The National Broadband Plan (NBP) was for it to enable new ways of working and exploit the huge benefits that remote working offers to employers, employees and society more generally. 

“This was a crucial part of our strategy to ensure balanced regional development across Ireland, long before the pandemic. But COVID-19 has shown us the demand for this is growing.

“The pandemic has changed the way in which we live, work and interact with each other. Covid-19 has shown us that location is not as important anymore, connectivity is what counts.”

Minister Humphreys concluded: “Despite the challenges presented by the pandemic, it is great to see the installation of high speed broadband already underway locally and surveying works also underway nationwide over the winter months. While Covid-19 might have delayed us, it will not stop us and Fine Gael is determined that 1.1m people in 544,000 homes, 695 schools, 54,000 farms and 44,000 business in the country will be online under the NBP so that no part of the country is left behind.”

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