Mr. Fergal Mulligan:

To explain how that works, National Broadband Ireland must connect anyone who makes a connection unlike the commercial sector which can refuse a connection. The current standard connection charge is €100. NBI will charge Vodafone, Eir, Regional Broadband or any of the 50 operators that are selling. The retail operators, therefore, cannot charge the homeowner €1,000, €2,000 or €4,000 to connect a home, which can happen in a commercial sector. NBI is subvented to do that in rural Ireland. That is why this is non-commercial. In the majority of homes, it will cost a significant amount to put in underground ducting and new poles to a farm yard 300 yd from the road. All that sort of thing is subsidised so that the consumer will get connection.