Written answers

Tuesday, 15 September 2020

Department of Rural and Community Development

National Broadband Plan

Photo of Seán SherlockSeán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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926. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the status of the mobile broadband task force; and if she has met with same. [24151/20]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Mobile Phone and Broadband Taskforce was launched in July 2016 to be a driving force for improving access to telecommunications services throughout Ireland.

Since its inception, the Taskforce has addressed more than 70 targeted actions to alleviate connectivity barriers and resolve issues that negatively impacted on the rollout of essential telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas.

The completion of the Taskforce’s 2019 Work Programme marked the end of the Taskforce as originally constituted. A Final Three-Year Review Report, detailing the progress made by the Taskforce since 2016, is due for publication in Q4 of this year.

Attention has now turned towards the future orientation of the Taskforce in line with the Programme for Government commitment to continue to support the work of the group.

While I have not yet had an opportunity to meet the Taskforce members, officials from my Department and the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment have had engagements with the members and with industry on the future direction of the group. Based on these engagements, the Departmental officials are actively discussing future options for the Taskforce, to ensure it remains effective in enhancing the quality of mobile phone and broadband services around Ireland.

I envisage that a new direction for the Taskforce will be agreed in the near future which will build on the success and positive engagement of the group up to now across central government, local government, statutory agencies and industry.

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