Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

Much has been said. What is important to point out is that it is a massive €2.1 billion project, but what it delivers will be massive in terms of opportunity throughout the country. We have often had an urban-rural divide in much of our infrastructure. What we are doing here is bringing equity to communications and fantastic opportunities to every rural home, business and school. There has also been quite a roll-out of the BCPs, which has made a huge difference. I brought it up with NBI at committee earlier. It looks at the impact that has on the schools and public areas where those BCPs have been rolled out.

I stressed to NBI that it was a massive plan. It has been described as akin to the rural electrification system and what that brought to rural Ireland. It will hit hiccups and bumps, but what I have had from interaction with NBI, on-site and in committee, is that there has been significant learning from the difficulties it has experienced in the first two years of the roll-out in terms of infrastructure, the problems with ducts and following drawings and network plans and what is on the ground not reflecting what it may have seen in the original drawings and I understand that.

What I have taken from it is that NBI has learned much from that and we will see an acceleration and improvement in its designs and future works. It will come in on target and deliver for rural Ireland. We should all support it and get it rolled out as quickly as possible.

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