Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent) | Oireachtas source

That will oblige existing operators to improve their offering to meet that minimum standard as and when it is required. That will be provided for in legislation just as one is guaranteed a telephone line and to have post delivered five days a week. Under the universal service obligation, a minimum standard of broadband will be brought in and will have to be provided.

Deputy Stanley said there was no mention of Eir and the 300,000 premises until the company came to me. That is not the case. I distinctly remember Deputy Ó Cuív on numerous occasions tabled oral and written parliamentary questions on this. The Irish Farmers Association had publicly endorsed Eir in this regard in advance of its formal approach to me on it and I made it crystal clear to Eir that I was not prepared to alter the map on a promise. I needed a detailed commitment agreement because we had all got promises from Eir and Eircom in the past about fibre-to-the-cabinet that did not happen and if we were going to alter the map, I said I needed a binding commitment on that and that is how the commitment agreement came about.