Michael Harty (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

When will this contract really be signed? People in rural Ireland are asking that question repeatedly. What will the total price of that contract be? How much is the consumer going to pay? They are the three things people in rural Ireland want to know.

While the procurement process has been very complex, during the negotiations for partnership Government in April 2016, we were shocked to find that a contract would not be signed until the end of 2017. Here we are at the end of 2019 and a contract has not been signed. I believe the procurement process has been too complex and flawed and that has been articulated by many speakers this evening. Outsourcing to the private sector with loss of control and ownership is a very serious mistake. That has already been discussed this evening. How long is this going to take? When will the last house in rural Ireland be connected? It could be my house, in six years' time.

Comparison has been made with rural electrification and it is quite different from that. Rural electrification was very important but it required a wire to get into every house. We have the possibility of delivering broadband in a wireless fashion, particularly in remote and rural areas. Undoubtedly, cheaper new technology will come on stream in the next few years. Has that been taken into account in respect of delivering fibre to every house? There are many unoccupied houses in rural Ireland that people do not realise are unoccupied. There are many more that will be unoccupied in years to come, yet this programme is going to deliver wireless broadband to phantom houses. Has the Minister taken that into account? There will be new technologies and new ways to deliver broadband that will be a lot cheaper.

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