Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

There might be no intention to drag it out but the Government has certainly achieved a monumental dragging out of a process that started back in 2012. The key fundamentals have changed in the intervening period of course. Earlier, the Taoiseach incorrectly told the Dáil there were three bidders for the national broadband plan and, as such, that gave confidence to the Government with regard to the pricing. The reality is there was only ever one bid placed. Other potential bidders had taken part in a dialogue but only one company ever sent in a formal bid. The Minister of State might confirm this is the case and, perhaps, the Taoiseach will correct the record on it also tomorrow. Granahan McCourt, the one remaining bidder, wants €3 billion of taxpayers' money for a €1.5 billion network, as estimated by most other companies. The company will ultimately own the infrastructure and any profits generated from the network will effectively also be retained by Granahan McCourt. It wants the taxpayer to pony up €3 billion to build a network that has been estimated to cost €1.5 billion. It wants to own it forever and a day and it wants all the profits that go with it. In anyone's mind, this is a fiasco and mess that has left us at this point, where the Government's back is to the wall. There are 542,000 premises and homes dotted throughout Ireland crying out for broadband and the Government has managed to put the taxpayer into this precarious position. It will need much debate and careful explaining by the Government to get out of this one.

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