Results 4,621-4,640 of 6,530 for speaker:Ruairí Ó Murchú

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I thank the NBI team. I suppose we must start with the stuff that is in the public domain. I accept that the answer is that nothing has changed in relation to the contract. I do not want to spend a great deal of time on that issue. I ask for one of the witnesses to give me a quick synopsis on the structure. Obviously, there is a fear that there is a huge amount of debt equity rather...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Due to voting rights.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I will finish this up because there is talk of David McCourt seeking a different sort of financing structure. Obviously, there has been communication with the Department on that. I ask for a quick synopsis on that, where it stands at the minute and whether another financier or investor has been found.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: A long-term partner. I assume NBI is looking for someone in the telecommunications field, rather than the likes of Oak Hill Advisors?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Okay. They have not been found yet.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: But the process is ongoing.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Due to the limited time, we will move straight on.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I think there will be a need for a fair amount of interaction.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: What is killing NBI, for the want of a better term at this point in time, is that initially, some 115,000 premises passed deadline for the end of January. Obviously, that was revised to 60,000. Now, the figure relating to premises passed is 34,417. Will Mr. Kendrick explain the difficulties that there are? We have consistently and constantly spoken about possible accelerations. What can...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I accept that the scope is a lot wider now.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I suppose that is 60,000 premises passed being reached at the end of March. Perhaps Mr. Malone will outline the detail.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: We all accept that. Even if that did not happen, however, NBI would not have hit 60,000, so obviously there are difficulties and we need them laid out to consider what we need to do to facilitate National Broadband Ireland to deliver. The people out there probably do not care about the questions I asked about around the financial structure. They just want broadband delivered.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: On the basis on those rapid response teams, this would tell me there has been a difficulty with the Eir Make Ready process and in delivering to National Broadband Ireland. What else is needed to make sure there is an acceleration? I would like some detail on the acceleration. We have spoken previously on this. The idea was that seven years would become five years, and given the Covid...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: So National Broadband Ireland could do the business itself?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: That is delays across the board.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: I accept that. In fairness to National Broadband Ireland, it has stated this is where it is being held up. It is perhaps something we as a committee need to chase up. We must make sure we can mitigate against logjams such as this as much as possible. Will Mr. Malone just give some detail? We may as well throw all of the figures out there. If we are talking about an acceleration, in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: So that is it. It is not going to be five years. It is six years. I appreciate what we have been given. There were other issues, in fairness, that Mr. Malone had highlighted previously about poles and planning permissions. I assume someone will deal with those in their contributions. I thank the witnesses.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport: National Broadband Plan Update: National Broadband Ireland (27 Jan 2022)

Ruairí Ó Murchú: Others have said it was a bit hectic earlier moving from one location to another, but there is probably a fair amount of additional information in the public domain. That does not do any harm, from anyone's point of view. I have a couple of questions I want answered. I will not labour them greatly. Who or what is UTi Ireland LLC?