Minister for Communications Denis Naughten, TD
In a social media first for an Irish Government official, the Minister for Communications will take part in a Facebook Live Q&A to discuss rural broadband and the National Broadband Plan.
The Q&A with Denis Naughten, TD, will be broadcast live on his Facebook page from Facebook HQ in Dublin on Tuesday 13 September from 7pm
Set to begin in June 2017, the National Broadband Plan aims to solve Ireland’s broadband problems for once and for all.
Costed at over €500m, it plans to provide every citizen in intervention areas with a minimum speed of 30Mbps and it will cover over 96pc of Ireland’s national landmass and 100,000km of existing road network.
‘Broadband is a key priority for me and the hundreds of thousands of people who have been frustrated by promises and lack of delivery’
– DENIS NAUGHTEN, TD
In effect, the social and economic future of 1.8m citizens – including close to 688,000 members of the labour force, 80,000 farms and 62,000 SMEs – hangs in the balance as the much-needed intervention plan by the Irish Government waits to begin.
National conversation
“Broadband is a key priority for me and the hundreds of thousands of people who have been frustrated by promises and lack of delivery,” Naughten said.
“That is why I have decided to host a live questions and answers session where members of the general public can log in, join a national conversation on broadband and have their questions answered.
“So, if you have a question about the broadband plan, you have the opportunity to ask me directly via Facebook. I would encourage people to ‘like’ my page in advance and you can set up a notification of the commencement of the live broadcast.”
“The National Broadband Plan will see the delivery of high-speed broadband to every citizen and premises in Ireland and is vital in particular for rural businesses, start-ups and families,” stated Minister Naughten.
“I would encourage people throughout the area who want to learn more, or who have a specific question they would like addressed, to visit my Facebook page on the evening and submit their question during the course of the broadcast.”
