Ossian Smyth (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

The country has been divided up into two areas: the intervention area where NBI operates and the non-intervention area, which is the urban areas which are commercially viable. We got approval from the European Commission to have NBI operate and be subsidised within the intervention area. If a person is not in that area, the NBI is not going to reach them. The NBI has to provide 100%; it has to provide a service to every person. It does not get its bonus or its payments until it completes an area. The reason this project is on track for expenditure and has not gone over budget is that the contractor gets paid for every piece that is delivered.

The Cathaoirleach referred to a particular housing estate.

The builder may have done a deal with one supplier where one supplier owns the ducting and no one else can get in. Clearly that creates a barrier to competition and means that somebody could potentially be paying more than they should because there is no competition.