STATE INVESTMENT of about €200 million along with matching funds from private telecom companies will be required as part of a national broadband plan to be launched today.

The plan will be focused on smaller urban centres and rural areas. More than 40 per cent of Irish homes already have access to very fast broadband – but they are centred in the major urban areas.

State aid clearance by the European Commission will almost certainly be required, in order to guarantee that public funds are not substituting for potential private sector investment.

Quick! Spend it before they tell us we can’t afford it.