With public investment of €38.349m, the Southern and Eastern Regional Operational Programme helped the National Broadband Scheme (NBS) deliver broadband to 483 designated Electoral Divisions (ED) from 2007-2013 in 12 counties (Dublin was the only county without unserved EDs).

In the Southern and Eastern region the scheme made broadband accessible to 25,482 additional businesses, and provided broadband access to broadband to 954,695 additional people by the end of the 2007-2013 Southern and Eastern Regional Operational Programme.

Building on the investment under the previous programme, the National Broadband Plan (NBP) will be delivered under the Southern and Eastern Regional Programme 2014-2020. The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment is responsible for the implementation of the National Broadband Plan.

We are on course to meet the European Commission’s Digital Agenda for Europe’s target of 100% coverage of 30 Mbps by 2020. Additionally, the provision of fibre optic links to all unserved settlements in the Southern and Eastern Region will be increased.