Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

If it had been pooled with the other 500,000, it would not have happened. The other 500,000 justifies, under State aid rules, significant public expenditure to pay for the roll-out of broadband and that is what is going to happen. A number of operators have been part of this process and some have chosen to pull out but that does not mean companies have not submitted costings. People are talking as if we are starting again. We are not starting again but are at the very end of a very complex process which the Deputy set up. We have one absolutely viable consortium which wants to do this with the State and has confirmed that again today. It has submitted costings and we want to develop a partnership with it to make sure the 500,000 homes which need broadband, but would not get it under commercial conditions, will get it because it will be sponsored by the State.

Our only focus is to get broadband to homes in rural Ireland as quickly as we can do that and that was the motivation behind giving the go-ahead for Eir to roll out broadband to 300,000 homes. The other 500,000 which are still waiting, in frustration, expect the Government to find a way of getting fibre to them as quickly as we can. Ending this process and starting all over again with a panel of experts is not the way to do this. We have loads of experts advising us on this.

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