Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Eir is a big outfit. People call us all the time and say Eir is providing broadband down the road from them. When they call Eir and quote the code, they are told they are in an amber area. It is up to the Department to provide for them. Eir is passing the buck to the Department.

Eir knows that there will be a subsidy to provide broadband to that house. If it provides a connection now, it will be making its own commercial investment. Why would Eir spend its own money when it knows that there will be a State subsidy, some of which accrues to it for providing the network? Some people have been in the amber area for a considerable time. They are seriously disadvantaged by this. Commercial operators are not going into these areas. They are letting the customer wait, knowing that whichever provider goes in there in due course will get a subsidy to do so. Operators are hanging back. Does Mr. Neary follow my point?