Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate and understand all of that. When the national broadband plan was rolled out there was an expectation - Mr. Hendrick can tell me if it is not a legitimate expectation - that there would be a more timely intervention in those areas where there are serious gaps. I refer again to Ballyhooly, because as far as I am concerned it is a ground zero for every village of a similar type. There was an expectation that there would be a realisation of the commercial realities, but also a realisation of the corporate social responsibility of ensuring that where there were gaps, right down to micro-level, NBI would be the responsible partner in ensuring that where public representatives like me make representations through our broadband officers in the local authorities or directly to NBI, there would be an understanding of that dynamic and there would be moves to fast-track or, at least, recognise the fact that there are households wherein there are two parents working remotely and a post-primary or third level student who are quite literally taking turns using the broadband such is the lack of capability.

Mr. Hendrick speaks about an offering by NBI of minimum speeds of 100 Mbps, a 1G product and a new 2G product. Is NBI guaranteeing those speeds or is it, as set out in the small print, "up to" those speeds. There is a big difference between "up to 1G" and actually guaranteeing 1G. The term "up to" could mean anything up to that level. Those are the issues that we are trying to deal with here and that, as public representatives, we are trying to navigate. We are quite literally reflecting back to NBI what we are hearing on the ground from countless numbers of citizens in the types of villages mentioned, who are deeply frustrated that there is no intervention that appears to be serving them.

Mr. Hendrick is telling me about something that is going to happen in the future, the future is now as far as those people are concerned. The pandemic has fast-tracked remote working and they want results now. What can I tell the people of Ballyhooly arising from my engagement with the witnesses today that would give them some hope that there will be an intervention to meet their needs and they will get a service?