Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

When the then CEO of Eir, Mr. Richard Moat, wrote to the Minister at the time and said it had become overly complex and onerous, he was referring to the fact that the procurement process was no longer fit for the purpose of providing broadband to 542,000 homes at the best price. All those who pitched in had a level playing field, but in the knowledge that raising that bar for everyone meant neither Eir nor the ESB could use their existing infrastructure, and so the taxpayer was effectively on the hook for an additional €2 billion.