Good morning, and a sincere thank you to Mayor Bannigan, and the Council, for their kind invitation to officiate at this mornings signing of contracts for the North East Broadband Project.
The attendance here of so many public representatives and officials shows the level of enthusiasm that this project has created, and the spirit of commitment and forward thinking that will help to drive the project.
Although it is a relatively new technology, broadband has, in a few short years, become the single most important technology for change and development since the Industrial Revolution.
Yes, there are still many people who would be quite happy with the old black telephone, but there are many more who needs to move with the times and grasp the opportunities offered by broadband.
Broadband has become the essential tool for industry, commerce, education, health care and social inclusion. It offers the greatest scope for economic and social advancement, in the shortest time frame, that this country has ever had.
Towns with broadband will be successful in attracting inward investment. Indeed, businesses are three times more likely to set up in those towns, according to international broadband analysis.
Companies with broadband will be competitive in national and world markets. Their customers are 0.8 seconds away.
Homes with broadband will be where children and parents will widen their horizons and broaden their knowledge.
Schools and colleges with broadband will become centres of excellence in education and learning.
However, for the broadband revolution to succeed, it needs modern, high-speed infrastructure. Unfortunately, the level of investment by the telecommunications sector in recent years has failed to keep pace with the demand for broadband, and in such cases of market failure we simply cannot afford to wait. We need to stay in the game, and that is why State intervention had to happen.
The old telephone networks cannot be relied on to deliver broadband to everyone - they are limited in capacity, speed and distance. What the broadband revolution needs is the fibre capacity that the Metropolitan Area Networks are providing - enough capacity for generations to come, with enough bandwidth to cater for every foreseeable need.
The first 19 MANs are now completed, and already carrying commercial traffic. Today we are signing contracts for the next six MANs, which will be built here in Monaghan Town, Cavan, Carrickmacross, Kingscourt, Dundalk and Drogheda.
We will be working closely with the Strategic Regional Partnership formed by the three councils, and look forward to a close and successful association.
The total investment in the North East MANs will be 13.4 million Euro, and will involve the laying of over 50 kilometres of cable. The project is 90% grant-aided (12.09 million Euro) by the Government under the NDP 2000-2006 and is co-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Each of the MANs is designed to achieve coverage of the central commercial and retail districts, and will also pass close to all the important office and industrial parks and also the hospitals, schools and colleges in each town.
The main contractors for the project are P. Clarke & Sons, of Lisnaskea, Co. Fermanagh, and the design and supervisory consultants are McMahon Design and Management of Dublin.
I am confident that with such experienced and professional firms on board, the project will move ahead rapidly and be ready to offer services as quickly as possible.
The Regional Broadband Programme will roll out MANs to almost 120 towns with a population of 1,500 and more, under a three-year programme with a dedicated budget of over €170 million. Five of these towns are in the area covered by this Strategic Regional Partnership, namely Ardee, Bailieboro, Cootehill, Clones and Castleblayney. A number of these towns are next on my list.
In addition to this I would expect to see, over the next two years, 150 smaller communities obtaining broadband connectivity by availing of my Departments Group Broadband Scheme. Over 50 community groups have already submitted applications under the scheme, and a number have already been approved.
The Group Broadband Scheme, which has a separate budget of 25 million Euro, offers smaller towns and rural communities the chance to obtain broadband connectivity for their areas, with up to 55% funding from Government, using the broadband delivery technology that is best suited to the location whether it be wireless, satellite, fibre or cable.
My Department is working closely with the Department of Education and Science, and with the Telecommunications and Internet Federation, on an 18 million Euro joint project to deliver free broadband connectivity to each one of the 4,200 primary and post primary schools in the country by the start of the 2005 school year. This project is already underway, and I expect to be making an important announcement about it in the coming weeks.
The support and involvement of local officials in these projects is vital. You are the people who know the needs of your areas, and the success of the broadband projects, especially the Group Broadband Scheme, will depend greatly on the commitment you are prepared to make at local and community level.
I would encourage each one of you to get behind these projects and support them to the full. With your cooperation we will make the broadband revolution a reality for the North East.
Finally, I would like once again to thank you for the opportunity to address you today and I wish you all the best for Christmas and the New Year.
Thank you for your attention.