Meath County Council Ordinary Meeting
5th November 2018, Council Chamber

8 Notice of Question
8.1 Submitted by Councillor Trevor Golden

Given delays and recent developments with the NBP, does Meath County Council have any contingency plans to assist rural communities/groups access broadband services or to assist operators provide service?

Response: Meath County Council, through the Broadband Officer, has been engaging with mobile phone companies to identify black spot areas, and to work with them to improve mobile phone and broadband services across the county. Possible sites on Meath County Council land have been put forward and are being reviewed and progressed where a match to need and site suitability is found. Several new sites on private lands have been completed in the last year and others are currently in development. The companies have all expressed an interest in developing further sites across the county. If any Councillor is interested in helping to improve services in their area by identifying possible locations, information on targeted blackspot areas is available from the Broadband Officer. For the safety and security of rural residents, as well as to improve their capabilities for social and economic growth, Co. Meath will need to improve its mobile phone and broadband coverage. In order to do this, additional mast sites are needed to improve coverage.Meath County Council will also apply for funding to provide free public Wi-Fi access in centres of public life through the WIFI4EU programme.

Link to Minutes on Meath County Council