Brian Stanley (Laois-Offaly, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

It also got the easier-to-reach premises before the scheme was actually contracted out. Mr. Mulligan and I both know bidders were lost over that. Bidders pulled out. Significant bidders like the ESB and so on pulled out after that. Eir would appear to be in a fairly good position if it gets €800 million for use of the infrastructure. It also has the 250,000 easiest to reach homes, which brought down the targets to be done under the national broadband scheme from 750,000 or 800,000 homes and premises to in the region of 540,000, as I recall it. It puts Eir in a strong position financially but also in terms of control of infrastructure, does it not?