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

As we have discussed, the decision on this is imminent. I intend to bring a recommendation to the Government before Easter, as has been indicated in the timeframe from the Taoiseach. I am working to that deadline. With respect to what is happening in the wider area, the Deputy will appreciate that the intervention area is what is left after commercial operators have "put up their hands" to deliver a universal service in certain areas. That is how Eir came to nominate the 300,000 premises. None of the recent announcements, such as that for Imagine, have put forward a proposal to carve out part of the intervention area on the basis that 100% cover would be provided within an area carved out to the minimum 30 Mbps requirement. These wireless technologies are not fibre to the home and as the Deputy knows all of those which submitted tenders under the original proposals indicated the most cost-effective way of delivering cover was fibre to the home.

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