Dáil debates

Thursday, 24 January 2019

Ceisteanna - Questions - Ceisteanna ar Sonraíodh Uain Dóibh - Priority Questions

National Broadband Plan

10:30 am

Photo of Richard BrutonRichard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

We are very clearly a lot further on. A detailed final bid was submitted in September. It is a comprehensive bid to deliver a broadband plan. The Deputy asks why my officials and I are taking so much time to evaluate this. I think he himself the other evening raised questions, as did numerous other Deputies, about issues such as the robustness of the technology, the deployment strategy, the contract terms, the governance of the project and the terms for connection.

Deputy Dooley heard them himself. Numerous legitimate issues were raised. It is right that we would tease them out and be satisfied. If I am in a position to bring a recommendation to the Government it will be based on having teased out the very issues Deputies here are raising with me. That is the reason time is being taken for that.

The Deputy complained that the Government is taking credit for commercial operators deciding to carve out part of the original 750,000 households, but that is under the terms of State aid. Once one enters into the provision of State support to a project such as this, there has to be an opportunity for others to come in, and that has triggered the arrival of others to make provision for 300,000 households. They are the facts.

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