Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 14 February 2019
Public Accounts Committee
Regional Internet Service Providers Association
9:00 am
Mr. Marcus Matthews:
Yes, where they do exist. Regulated pricing in general is an issue, irrespective of whether there is site access. Even if no fibre is running into a site, regional ISPs have to use microwave links, which are point-to-point fixed wireless high-capacity links, and daisy-chain them to bring the signal to a point where there is fibre. In each site there is an annual fee to pay for each of the links and the cost of that can add up quite quickly. The costs can spiral which means the money is not there to reinvest in order to serve more customers.
No comments